Turbulence
by Taz Maniac
Summary: ::COMPLETE:: Will Carter's mistake ruin everything he had with Abby?
1. It's Gonna Be A Long Day

Chapter 1

            "I've got a man with a concussion in Curtain 3 can you take it I really need to go," Chen said in a rush, already pushing the chart into Carter's hands. It clattered to the floor between them. "John? You okay?"

            "Oh, um, yeah," Carter said, flashing her a smile. He picked up the chart and pretended to study it, but his mind was on other things.

            "Did you even hear a word I said?" Chen asked.

            "Of course I did. Man in Curtain three. Concussion. I got it."

            "Thanks, John. I really appreciate it. See you tomorrow?"

            "Yeah, sure. Bye Deb." She exited the lounge, and Carter was alone.

            He propped himself up again the wall and gazed at the chart, unseeing. I've got to pull myself together, he told himself. I'm gonna get fired if I keep spacing out like this at work.

            With a sigh, he headed out to see the man in Curtain three. Life still went on, even without her.

__________________________________________________________________________

            "Ready to go?" Susan asked, opening her locker.

            Carter assumed she was talking to someone else, then realized he was the only one in the room. "Me?" he asked, pointing a finger at his chest.

            "Who else?"

            "Ready to go where?"

            Susan gave him an angelic smile. "Double date, remember?" Seeing the look on his face, she said, "You promised."

            "No, I didn't," Carter said in an irritated tone. He knew he hadn't promised Susan any such thing; what was she trying to pull?

            "Aw, c'mon. If I have to go out with this guy again, the least you could do is keep me company," Susan whined.

            "Nobody make you accept. Why in the world should I have to spend an evening with a woman I barely even know just cause you didn't have the nerve to turn this jerk down?" Carter snapped.

            Susan stared at him, the smile sliding off her face. "You okay Carter?" she asked.

            "I'm fine," he responded.

            Susan was not convinced. "You wanna talk about it?"

            "There's nothing to talk about, okay?" He saw the hurt look on Susan's face and realized that he was biting her head off when she hadn't done anything. "I'm sorry, Susan. I've just been having a crappy day, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you." He paused, and looked down. "I guess I've been reminiscing a lot lately. It's been four years today."

            Susan was confused. "Four years since what?" she asked.

            "Four years since I ruined the best thing I ever had."

____________________________________________________________________________

            "Miss Bella? Miss Bella? Could I have another cup of juice?" asked Riley, holding up his empty tumbler.

            Miss Bella scowled down at the three year old. "One cup each. You already got your cup; go play."

            Riley's lip quivered. "But I'm thirsty," he said, lower lip quivering.

            "Get some water from the sink," said Miss Bella, reopening her newspaper. Riley began to cry.

            "You made my brother cry! I hate you," said Jill. She ran over to Miss Bella and kicked her in the shin.

            "Why, you little demon," said Miss Bella, hauling her huge behind from its comfortable home in the recliner. She grabbed both Jill and Riley by their wrists and dragged them to the corner. "You little brats can stay there until your mother gets here!" Miss Bella said triumphantly, returning to her recliner. Who had the last laugh now?

            As the other children of the daycare center ran wild around her, Miss Bella continued to read her newspaper. After all, the parents were only paying 45 dollars a week; what kind of care did they expect? In fact, she didn't look up from the newspaper until she heard an angry voice saying, "Why are my children in the corner?"

            Reluctantly, Miss Bella looked up from her newspaper. "Well Miss W., your little girl kicked me in my leg, right where my varicose veins are the worst." Miss Bella rubbed her nonexistent bruise. "I've a mind to sue."

            "They're three years old! You can't just leave them in a corner for an hour like that!"

            "How do you know it was an hour? You weren't here; for all you know they're lying." In actuality, Miss Bella had no idea how long they had been in the corner. She had been so engrossed in her newspaper, she had almost forgotten about them.

            Miss W. sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Look, I just don't want them being left in the corner that long, okay?" She hated to make peace with the lazy, spiteful woman, but this was the only daycare she could afford that hadn't gotten a failing grade from city inspectors. 

            "Well, I'll thank you not to tell me how to run my daycare," Miss Bella huffed, reopening her newspaper. Who did this woman think she was, telling her how to treat those stupid brats? She was lucky she didn't leave them in the corner ALL day.

            Miss W. bit her lip. She needed someone to watch her children while she was at work, so she was doing her best not to piss Miss Bella off. She looked over at her son and daughter, who were in tears. It would be better to leave them home alone than to have them mistreated.   "I don't think it's fair for you to leave them in the corner like that for so long. Even if she kicked you, she's only a toddler."

            Miss Bella gasped in outrage, and hauled her fat behind out the chair for the second time that day. "You look here missy, this is my daycare. I'll run it however I please. You can just take your little demons and leave, Miss W., and don't you come back."

            Her face still covered with tears, Jill walked up to the woman and said, "Her name's not Miss W., it's Miss W-Y-C-Z-E-N-S-K-I!"

            Miss W. took the hands of her son and daughter. "I'm never coming back to this place. I'd rather leave my kids home alone than have you mistreat them." She stomped out of the door, leaving Miss Bella flabbergasted.

            "Does that mean we don't have to go there anymore?" Jill asked as soon as they had left the house.

            "No, you don't have to go there anymore," she confirmed, but she was worried. What was she going to do about her kids? She couldn't really leave them home alone; they were only three!

            Well, at least she was working the night shift tomorrow. That would give her an extra day to find another daycare. She didn't feel great about leaving her kids alone at night, but it was better than leaving them home alone during the day.

            "Yay! No more daycare! Can we come to work with you, Mommy?" Riley asked cheerfully.

            "No, honey, I'm gonna have to find you a new daycare."

            Jill made a face. "I don't want to go back to daycare! That lady was mean!"

            "I'll find a nice daycare this time," she promised, but she had no idea how she was going to afford it. The daycare they had been going to had taxed her finances to the max; she couldn't afford a better one.

            "I'll think of something," she encouraged herself aloud.

___________________________________________________________________

            She had just gotten Riley and Jill out of bed the next morning when her pager started beeping. "Beep, beep, beep!" the twins chimed in. She sighed and looked at the pager. Sure enough, it was work.

            "Mommy's gotta go to work guys," she told them. "Since I haven't had a chance to find a new daycare, you'll have to come with me."

            "Can we go to the playroom again?" Riley asked eagerly. She nodded. "Yay!" the twins cheered.

            They arrived at the hospital in a few minutes. "I got a page; what's happening?"

            "Sorry Abby, but you know Glenn and Miranda are both out sick," said Emma, the desk clerk. "We've got twelve deliveries and only three nurses. Can you cover?" 

            "And to think I quit working in the ER so I wouldn't be on call," Abby scoffed, putting on her I.D. badge. "Can you take the twins down to the playroom?"

            "I sure can." She grabbed each of their hands. "Hey guys, did you know that we got a new game on the Playstation?"

            "Really? What is it?"

            As their voices trailed off down the hall, Abby was reminded of that day so many years ago when she had played Playstation games with Luka. That seemed like such a distant memory. It had been so long since she had really had any fun. Raising twins was hard, and she worked every extra minute she could because she needed the money.

            Sighing, she turned to the board. She had a long day ahead of her.

_______________________________________________________________________

            Carter groaned as the dresser slowly but surely scraped its way across the floor. His shoulder muscles cried out in protest, and it seemed like the dresser was fighting back. He didn't remember moving furniture being this hard before. Why had he decided that he needed to rearrange his house today?

            With the dresser finally in place, he picked up a box from the closet. His fingers were slippery with sweat from exertion, and the box fell on his toes. "Ouch!" he cried out. His voice seemed to echo through the large, empty Carter mansion.

            This house is really too big for one person, he reflected. So many bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms that I never use. What a waste. I really should sell this place.

            But he couldn't bring himself to. He had started to so many times, especially right after Gamma died, but somehow, it just didn't seem right. This was the Carter house, and there should always be a Carter living here. So he stayed here. Alone.

            I shouldn't be here alone, he realized. She should be here with me.

            He opened the box and found just what he knew was in it: pictures. He brushed the dust off the cover of a photo album and opened it. Ah, so many memories. There, one of the gang at County General. Here, Carol and Doug and a party. There, Pratt and Deb sneaking a kiss. He flipped through the pictures angrily. Why did he have so many happy couple pictures?

            His fingers stopped when he got to the picture he was looking for. The one happy couple picture that he never got tired of looking at. He and Abby, holding cans of soda, smiling into the camera. He could see Abby's fingers snaking up behind him to plant rabbit ears behind his head, but she hadn't been fast enough to get them in the picture. He sighed as he remembered that day. It had been a long time since he had had that much fun. He really missed her.

            His head suddenly snapped upwards. "What am I doing?" he asked himself. "It's been four years since Abby left. I need to get on with my life."

            For the most part, he had. It was just times like this, times when he felt down and started to reminisce, that he wished he could have Abby back.

            It would have been bad enough if they had just broken up, but knowing that her leaving was entirely his fault made him feel awful. He could still remember the look on her face when she found him...

            No, he couldn't think about that. Abby was gone now, and she had made it quite clear that she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Maybe it was time for him to move on. With a sigh, he placed the photo album back in its box. It was going to be a long day.


	2. Pink Slip

Chapter 2

            "Abby, can I talk to you for a minute?"

            As soon as Abby saw the look on Paul's face, she knew that it was not good news. Please don't tell me they're not giving me a raise this year, she thought. If I don't get that extra money, I don't know how I'm gonna make it.

            She followed her boss into the employee lounge and turned to face him, determined to accept whatever news he gave her as well as she could. She was not prepared, however, for the pink slip of paper he handed her.

            "Abby, I'm sorry, but..."

            His words were a blur. She felt like she was going to be sick. She tried to believe that it was something else, but she knew what a pink slip meant. They were firing her. She tried to gulp back tears as her boss's voice droned on, unheard. What was she going to do?

            She realized that Paul had stopped talking, and it was her turn to say something. In a shrill voice that she barely recognized as her own, she said, "I have kids to feed, Paul! What am I supposed to do now?"

            "I'm really sorry. I told everyone that we would probably be laying some people off-"

            "Couldn't you have at least given me a little heads up? I probably won't be able to get another job for at least a month, and that's if I'm lucky!"

            "I know, Abby. I tried to prevent this; I really thought we weren't going to have to lay anyone off, so I didn't say anything. I really hate to spring this on you like this. I'm sorry."

            "Not nearly as sorry as I am!" Abby screeched, and she realized that she was crying. How pathetic. She could tell that Paul felt uncomfortable. "I'm really sorry," he repeated nervously.

            She was too upset to answer him. Snatching out the contents of her locker, she stormed downstairs.

            "Mommy, look at the picture I made!" Riley said, proudly holding up a crayon drawing of what appeared to be a giraffe.

            "How nice, honey," Abby said, trying to keep her voice steady. She looked at her two wonderful children and thought, How am I going to feed them?

            "I'm tired of coming to the playroom every day, Mommy. That lady doesn't like us. She told us that we're not sposta be here for a whole day."

            Abby knew that was true. "Well, you won't be coming here anymore," she reassured her daughter.

            Jill beamed. "Great!" she exclaimed. Then, in a more hesitant tone, she said, "Are we going back to daycare?"

            "I don't know, honey. I'm not really sure what we're going to do now."

            "Whaddya mean, Mommy?" Riley asked, his brow wrinkled.

            "Nothing. Nothing, Riley." She kneeled down and gathered both of her children in her arms. "Don't you worry. Mommy's gonna take care of you."

_____________________________________________________________________

            "Um, I'm looking for Dr. Carter?"

            Chuni and Haleh both stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the short, brunette woman standing in from of them. "And who are you?" Chuni asked, a grin threatening to turn up the corners of her mouth.

            "I'm Lara Donovan. I'm a medical student?" she said timidly, leaping out of the way of a patient who was puking on the floor five inches away from her feet. "Oh, my," she commented nervously.

            "Oh," Chuni said, disappointed. "He's in Exam 1. Right over there," she said, pointing.

            "Darn. I thought she was Carter's girlfriend," Chuni said as soon as Lara was out of earshot.

            "And why are you so concerned about Carter's love life?" Haleh asked.

            "He needs a woman to cheer him up. He's been in such a mood lately, it's bringing everybody in the ER down."

            "You know it's because of Abby," Haleh decided.

            "Why now? It's been what, like four years since she left?"

            "Yeah, four years yesterday. You know Carter never really got over her."

            "Got over who?" asked Macy, who had only been working at County for a year, and therefore didn't know all the gossip.

            "Abby."

            "Who's Abby?"

            Chuni stared at her. "You mean I never told you about Abby?" she asked disbelievingly.

            Macy shook her head. "No, not that I remember," she said.

            Chuni dropped the supplies she was holding and settled into a comfortable position. "Well, four years ago Carter and Abby were-"

            "DOCTOR CARTER, I have that chart you asked for," Haleh yelled. Carter looked confused. Why was Haleh yelling his name? Chuni gave Macy an I'll-tell-you-later look, and bustled off towards the supply closet.

            What was up with everybody today, he wondered as Macy almost ran down the hall, a grin on her face. It seemed like everybody in the ER was on something.

            "Um, Doctor Carter?"

            He turned and saw a young, nervous-looking woman standing behind you. "Yeah?" he said, then realized he sounded like a gangster. What was HIS problem today? "Can I help you?" he corrected.

            "I'm.....Lara Donovan..." it seemed that she was waiting for him to finish her statement.

            "Oh yeah, the new med student. Well, welcome to County General. I'll give you a tour." 

            Lara smiled shyly. "Is it always like this here?" she asked, as they walked past a patient begging for prompt treatment.

            "No, sometimes it gets REALLY busy." He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Ah, the innocence of youth. He remembered when he had been a lowly med student, following Benton around the ER and watching his every move. It seemed like so long ago.

            He realized he was daydreaming, and told himself to snap out of it. He couldn't be spacing out in front of new med students; how would that look? Smiling apologetically at Lara, he said, "Well, back to the tour..."

_________________________________________________________________

            "I just need another week-"

            "Sorry, no can do. If I let you go a week late, I'd have to let everybody go late, and how would I make any money?" 

            Abby felt like smacking him in the face. He was such a supercilious jerk, always condescending towards women, and she had never liked him. She stayed in the apartment because it was cheap, but now it appeared that it was too expensive for her.

            After three weeks, Abby still hadn't found another job. She had been living from paycheck to paycheck, and now she was simply out of money. She had eight dollars in her pocket, $600 in debt, and now, she was about to be evicted. She tried to blink back tears as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. What was she going to do?

            She hated groveling to her uncaring landlord, but she had thought that maybe it would buy her a little time. But it hadn't. She was already behind on the rent, and he wouldn't give her another week to pay him. So she had to leave. Today. She had no idea where she was going, but she couldn't stay here anymore. 

            She could hear Riley and Jill in the living room playing. Tears spilled onto the suitcase she was stuffing their meager possessions into. "What am I going to do?" she whispered. "How am I going to feed them?"

            The apartment they lived in had come furnished, so there wasn't much to pack. Abby loaded the four suitcases onto the bed, and a wave of dizziness hit her. It had been a long time since she had eaten. There was so little food in the house, and how could she take any of it away from her children? She had stopped being hungry several days ago.

            As if they were reading her thoughts, the twins walked in the room and Jill said, "I'm hungry!"

            Abby stood up slowly, ignoring the lightheadedness that standing caused. "I'll make you guys some lunch."

            "I don't want ramen noodles or sandwiches again. I'm tired of them," Jill complained.

            "Me too," Riley chimed in.

            "Could we get hot dogs and potato chips?" 

            "Yeah, Mommy, please?" Riley asked excitedly, looking up at her.

            Abby looked at their hopeful faces and felt awful. There had been no food in the house but ramen noodles and sandwiches for almost two weeks, because she was trying to make the money stretch. She only had eight dollars; she couldn't afford luxuries like hot dogs and potato chips. But she hated to disappoint them.

            "Maybe tomorrow." Ignoring the double sighs, she said, "Now, do you guys want beef or pork?"

            Jill returned to the couch. "I don't want ramen noodles," she said stubbornly. "I'll just wait til we get the hot dogs."

            Abby bit her lip. She had to come up with a plan.


	3. Now What?

Chapter 3

            Abby lay on her back, silent. She turned to look at her two children, who were sound asleep. She laid her hand gently on Riley's cheek. "I love you, baby," she whispered to him, even though he couldn't hear her. She switched her hand to Jill's cheek and said, "I'm going to take care of you two."      With those promises made, she turned onto her side to brainstorm.

 Fortunately, as she was leaving she had discovered that her neighbor needed a house-sitter. So she had three more days, but she still had to come up with a plan. 

            She was still considering other nursing jobs, but it was probably out of the question since she didn't even have an address. In fact, that made most jobs impossible. So what could she do?

            Even if she could somehow get a job, Abby knew that she wasn't going to get interviewed, hired, and paid in four days. When were they going to live until she got a job? 

            Her credit cards were maxed out, which meant she couldn't get a hotel room. In four days, her neighbor would be home, and she would expect the Wyczenskis to get out of her apartment. Where would they go then?

            A sudden thought occurred to her, and it was so startling that she sat up in bed. What about Carter? If he knew he had children, she was sure he would take care of them. But she didn't want anything to do with Carter, and she didn't want his help. She was sure if he gave her money, he would expect to see the twins, and Abby couldn't bear the thought of that.

            An even more horrible thought came to her. If she contacted him, what if he tried to get custody of the twins? It would be quite easy for him to take his own children away from their homeless, jobless mother. Abby couldn't bear the thought of not having her children. She couldn't call him.

            But was keeping them away from Carter more important than seeing them well fed? She looked over at their quiet, sleeping bodies. What if a time came when she couldn't provide for them? Would she still keep them away from Carter?    

            Thinking about the problem more rationally, she realized that Carter wouldn't want to take her children away from her. He would probably try to make up with her, make everything better, and then they could just be one big happy family. Abby shook her head firmly. No. She didn't want that. How could she forgive Carter, after what he had done?

            But her kids needed to eat. Abby decided that if she ran out of money and still hadn't come up with any ideas, she would call Carter. That decision made, she settled down to sleep next to her kids. "Things are gonna be okay," she promised them. And she was sure that they would be. Hopefully, she would come up with a plan before her stint as a house sitter ended.

______________________________________________________________________

            Danielle smiled coyly at the young business man as he walked past her. He smiled back, and was so busy looking at her that he ran into a pole. Danielle rolled her eyes. Men were such idiots.

            She remembered the only man she had ever loved. Xavier, the man of her dreams. He was perfect in every way until the day he broke her heart. He left her for another woman, without so much as a, "Sorry, it was fun, bye." Xavier's leaving had made her realize one of the fundamental truths in life: men were pigs. All they cared about was sex, and they would happily drop their wife, girlfriend, whatever, if they came across someone who looked better.

            Of course, this was just a theory at first. SHE knew that all men were superficial jerks, but she had to prove it to the rest of the women in the world. So she did. She got $20,000 worth of plastic surgery, and when it was done, she looked good enough to stop traffic. Then she went out into the testing grounds.

            Over the years, she had gone through many jobs. It was easy to get hired; the people in charge of hiring new employees were always men, and therefore always easy to influence with a smile, a wave, a flash of skin. Once she got hired, she had more than enough willing test subjects.

            She smiled, remembering one of her favorites. It was when she had been a nurse's assistant in a hospital; was it in Chicago or Detroit? She couldn't remember. But she did remember that doctor. As soon as she saw him, she knew he was her mark. He had a kind of big nose, but he was without a doubt one of the best looking men she had ever seen. She knew that if she could get him to fall for her, it would prove her theory that all men were shallow, and only cared about what a woman looked like.

            He had been one of her toughest cases. He had a girlfriend who worked in the hospital. She had a hard face, obviously toughened by years of hard living. She was dumpy, much fatter that Danielle, and her blondish hair screamed bad dye job. Danielle had wanted to tell her, Honey, you're not fooling anyone but yourself. Especially if you think you can keep a good looking man like this, with your homely self.

            Eventually, he had given in, just like all the others. Danielle's theory was proven. She could still remember the horrified look on his dumpy little girlfriend's face when she caught the two of them in the supply closet. Danielle wasn't wearing anything above the waist but a smirk. The boyfriend left immediately to chase Dumpy, who had stormed out, but Danielle knew that their relationship was over. Dumpy would never take him back after this.

             Dumpy had been so mad, but really, what could she expect? Men were animals.


	4. Eric To The Rescue

Chapter 4

            "Don't run, guys. Remember, this isn't our apartment," Abby said. She sighed and put her feet up on the table. 

            It had been a long day. Job hunting from eight to eight, and still nothing. But really, she knew she couldn't expect anyone to hire her in the next few days.

            She had applied for several nanny positions. She realized that, if she was a nanny, she would not only have a place to live but she also wouldn't have to pay for daycare. And she would get to spend a lot more time with her kids. The more she thought about it, the better being a nanny sounded.

            But most people were looking for someone with more experience. They didn't want someone who had been a nurse all her life watching their kids. So once again, she had come up empty.

            Riley ran into the living room, with Jill right behind him. "Help me, Mommy, a bear's after me!" With his head turned talking to Abby, he ran into an end table and knocked it over.

            "Stop it! I told you guys to stop running!" Abby yelled, going over to pick up the end table.

            "I'm sorry, Mommy," Riley said, his lower lip trembling.

            Abby sighed. "Look guys, if we mess anything up in Miss Carol's apartment, I'm gonna have to pay for it, okay? So we have to be extra careful."

            The twins nodded. "Okay," they said.

            Abby was stacking the papers that had fallen off the table when something caught her eye. A slip of paper that said, Tell Abby her brother called. There was a phone number under the message.

            Abby's jaw dropped. Eric had called? She hadn't heard from him in years! She wondered if he was doing okay. She had given him her neighbor's number just in case, because her phone had been cut off several times.

            Picking up the phone, she dialed the number on the paper. She wondered how old the message was. It wasn't dated. She noticed the number had a Chicago area code. What was Eric doing in Chicago? 

            The phone rang several times before anyone answered it. Finally, it was picked up, and a groggy voice said, "Hello?"

            "Eric?" she asked tentatively.

            There was a pause, then, "Who is this?" in a clearer voice.

            Now Abby was sure it was him. "It's me; you know, your sister?"

            "Abby! It's great to hear from you! I called your neighbor like a week ago. I was starting to worry about you."

            Abby laughed, because the words sounded so strange coming out of his mouth. It was usually she who said that.

            "How're you doing, Eric?"

            She could hear him grinning over the phone. "You'll never guess what happened to me."

            "What?"

            "Guess!"

            "Just tell me!"

            "Okay, okay, you win. I won the lottery!"

            "Are you serious?"

            "Yeah! Isn't that great?"

            "How much did you win?"

            "Fifty grand! I came to tell you, but you don't live here anymore!"

            "Eric, I moved four years ago. I told you, remember?"

            "Nah, not really. Anyway, I thought the four of us could go out and celebrate or something! It's been so long since I've seen the twins. How old are they now?"

            "Almost four."

            "Wow! Times flies, huh? So, why don't you c'mon home, and we can go party or something!"

            Abby smiled. "That sounds great, Eric. But you know, I just lost my job. I don't think this is really a good time for me to be taking a vacation."

            "Oh." Eric was silent for a moment. Then, "Well, now there's no reason you can't come to Chicago! You can get a job here! So come stay with me! C'mon, it'll be fun! I won forty grand; we can all live off that for a year!"

            "Eric, I'm not going to freeload off you-"

            "Abby, I don't mind," Eric said in a serious voice. "I mean, after all you've done for me, it's the least I can do. I really think it would be nice. I'm tired of living by myself. Besides, I miss you. You're the only family I have, and I haven't seen you in what- three years? I want us to get to know each other again."

            "I'd really like that, Eric. What are you doing now?"

            "Oh, this and that. I'm giving flying lessons three days a week now."

            "You're giving lessons? You just learned how to fly a plane five years ago!"

            "What can I say? I'm a pro," Eric bragged. Abby laughed, and he joined in. It was so nice to be talking to him again, so nice to hear him doing something with his life.

            "So will you come? I have an apartment big enough for all of us. C'mon, please?" he begged.

            Abby smiled. Maybe this was the answer she had been looking for. "Okay, but as soon as I get a job I'll pay you back for everything, okay?"

            "You don't have to do that, Abby."

            "I know, but I want to."

            "Well, okay. When are you coming?"

            "I'm house-sitting right now, but I'll be done in two days."

            "Okay so I can expect you Wednesday?"

            "Better make it Thursday. I'm coming by car." She had no idea what she would use to pay for gas, but she would figure something out.

            "Okay, great. I'll have everything ready by then."

            "Okay."

            "I can't wait to see you."

            "Me neither."

            "Gosh, we have a lot to catch up on, don't we? But I guess we can catch up on that when you get here, can't we?"

            "Yeah. It'll be fun."

            "Yeah. I'll see you Thursday, okay?"

            "Okay. Bye." 

            "Bye."

            Abby hung the phone up slowly. That couldn't have really happened. Just like that, her problems were solved. She could live with Eric until she found a job. She couldn't believe that this had actually happened. The timing seemed like some kind of fairy tale. 

            But it was real. Eric had offered to let her live with him until she could find work. Her kids would be safe, and she wouldn't even have to think about Carter. She didn't really like the idea of moving back to Chicago, but maybe she could still apply for jobs here. She had no idea how she would go in for an interview, though.

            But for now, her problems were solved. She wouldn't have to worry about being put out on the street, or going to a homeless shelter. She had a place to live. Now all she needed was enough gas money to get her all the way to Chicago...


	5. The Supply Closet

Chapter 5

            "Ready to go, guys?"

            "Ready!" shouted the twins in unison.    

            Abby buckled Jill and Riley into their car seats, then got behind the steering wheel. They had just spent the night sleeping in the car, so she was surprised at their enthusiasm. They didn't even complain when she handed them their peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast. 

            Abby turned on the car and realized that the needle was almost on E. She headed for the gas station next door.

            While Abby was house-sitting, she realized that there was really only one way for her to get money for gas. She didn't have many things that were worth much money, but she had sold her stereo and their VCR for a grand total of $60. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get them to Chicago.

            She pulled into the station and pumped $20 dollars worth of gas. She knew they would need every drop of it to get to Chicago.

            She went into the store to pay for the gas. "Twenty dollars," said the kid at the counter. She opened her wallet and saw a lone twenty, nestled in a bed of receipts. Reluctantly, she handed it to him. The three slices of bread and scrapings of peanut butter that they had left would have to be enough to make lunch for the kids, but after that, they would have to wait. Hopefully, they would get to Eric's by evening.

            "I can't wait to see Uncle Eric!" Riley said once they were on the road.

            "What's he like, Mommy?" Jill asked. She had asked the same question yesterday and the day before, but Abby liked talking about him and the twins liked listening, so she answered again.

            "Well, he's tall, much taller than me, and he has dark brown curly hair-"

            "Like me!" Riley interrupted.

             Like Carter, Abby thought. "Like you," she confirmed. "And he tell a lot of jokes-"

            "Is he funny?" Jill asked.

            "Very funny. He makes everyone around him laugh. And when he smiles, he makes you want to smile-"

            "Because he's so nice?"

            "Yes, because he's so nice."

            "And he's not crazy anymore," Jill added.

             Abby almost swerved off the road. "What did you say?"

            "He's not crazy anymore. I heard you say that. Was he crazy before?"

            Abby vowed to keep her big mouth shut in front of the kids from now on. "Well, he wasn't crazy exactly, but he had a sickness that made him act strangely sometimes."

            "But he went to the doctor and the doctor fixed him?" Riley guessed.

            "Yes, the doctor fixed him. He has to take medicine now, and it makes him feel better." Abby smiled brightly into the rearview mirror. "Who wants to listen to the radio?"

___________________________________________________________________

            "Miss Donovan, what's your diagnosis?" Carter asked.

            Lara looked panicked. "Um, um...asthma?" she guessed.

            "No, he probably has a tension pneumothorax. How can we confirm that?"

            "Endoscopy?"

            "No, chest x-ray." Carter sighed. "Lara, have you been keeping up with your studies?"

            "Yes, yes!" Lara affirmed. "I do all my work, even the extra."

            "Well, that was a pretty basic diagnosis. You should have known that one."

            "I know, I'm really sorry-"

            "You need to make sure you do all your book work, all your lab work, and get in extra practice whenever you can."

            "I do, I do-"

            "Well, then you need to do more." As Carter walked away from Lara, he realized that he was being very short with the young med student, but how could she not know something that basic? He wondered what med school she had gone to that hadn't even taught her that.

            He was walking as fast as he could. He was in a bad mood, and he just needed some time alone. He hadn't been having a very good day.

            As Carter rounded the hall, he came face to face with the supply closet that he tended to avoid. This is where is all happened, he thought. This was where I ruined the best thing I ever had.

            He thought of Danielle: the short skirts, the coy smiles, the low-cut shirts. He remembered how, at the time, he had actually been amused by Abby's jealously. "You don't have to worry," he had told her. "I'll take you over her any day."

            But Danielle just wouldn't give up. Every time he was alone in an exam room, there would come Danielle, standing way too close and asking some question that she could ask any doctor. She would smile, touch his arm, brush up against him, say, "Thank you, Doctor Carter," in that low, sexy voice.

            He had to admit, he was flattered. Danielle was a beautiful woman; she could have had any man at County, yet for some reason she chose him. He had been foolish enough at the time to think that it actually had something to do with him.

            Then, that horrible day. He had been in the supply closet, and suddenly, there was Danielle. Neither of them had said a word, and before he knew it their lips were locked.

            Things had gotten out of control so fast. Next thing he knew, Danielle had torn off her shirt and had her arms wrapped around him. He was panting with lust when the door opened.

            He would never forget the look on Abby's face. It was hurt, embarrassed, sad, furious, and disgusted, all rolled into one. Danielle had a smug smirk on her face, and he realized that this was what she had wanted to happen all along.

            Carter had run after Abby, apologizing, trying to explain, but how could he explain? What in the world had motivated him to do something so terrible to Abby?

            Abby had had tears streaming down her face, but she wouldn't talk to him. She ignored him all the way out the door, then took a cab just so he couldn't follow her.

            He had gone to her apartment, stood at the chained door and begged for another chance. She wouldn't let him in, wouldn't say anything.

            At work, the whole ER was tense whenever the two of them were in the same room together. Every time they were alone, he tried to explain, tried to apologize, but she didn't want to hear it. He had betrayed her, and she didn't want anything to do with him.

            It was exactly two weeks later that she left. He was floored. So it was really over. She was leaving County, just so she could get away from him. 

            He had moped around for three weeks, then Susan convinced him to track her down, beg for another chance. He hired a private investigator and found out that she was working in a hospital in Atlanta, as an OB nurse. He got her address and went to Atlanta.

            She was living in a shabby, run-down building, and security wasn't too tight. It was easy for him to slip into the building, and once inside, he headed for her apartment.

            He had banged on the door, announcing his presence, begging to be let in. There was no answer, but the chain was on. He continued knocking and pleading, hoping that one of those would move her.

            When the cops arrived, he was shocked. Abby had called the cops on him? They politely informed him that if he didn't go away, they would take him downtown. Defeated, Carter returned to Chicago.

            And that was the last time he had tried to contact her. It had been almost four years, but he still thought of her often. He thought about how much he loved her, and realized how much he had thrown away for a moment of passion. He wished with all his heart that he could take the incident back, but it had happened, and Abby would never forgive him.

            Carter turned away from the closet. There was no point in dwelling on the past. He had messed up, big time, but there was nothing he could do to fix it.

            He realized that he was still on the clock, and walked towards the stretcher that was being wheeled in the doors. "What do we have?" he asked, going into doctor mode. He almost jumped out of his skin when he saw the woman lying on the stretcher.

            "Abby?"


	6. Lara To The Rescue

Chapter 6

            "We're here!" Abby announced. The twins cheered, then started squirming around, eager to get out of their car seats. Abby was eager herself. She couldn't wait to see Eric!

            Once they were out of the car, Abby held their hands as they walked into the lobby of the apartment building. "I'm here to see Eric Wyczenski, apartment 7D?" Abby said, her heart pounding with excitement.

            "Name?" the man asked.

            "Abby Wyczenski," she told him.

            The man rifled around in the desk, then came up with an envelope. "He left this for you," he said handing it to her.

            Abby opened the envelope and took out the piece of paper. It said,

Dear Abby,

I had to go. I'm very sorry, but you won't be able to stay with me. 

Let's just say there are some people who want a chunk of my money.

I'll try to contact you once I get someplace safe.

I hope you and the twins are doing okay.

Eric

            Abby's face paled, and she gulped back tears. This couldn't be real. How could Eric do this to her?

            What am I going to do? Abby thought. I have no money, almost no gas, and no place to stay.

            "Did he leave a key?" Abby asked hopefully.

            The man shook his head. "Nope, no key." He leaned forward and whispered confidentially, "He didn't pay his rent. The landlord's really pissed."

            Abby lowered her head in defeat. So this was it. She was out of options. She would have to call Carter.

            She didn't want to (God, she didn't want to), but what else could she do? They had absolutely no food or money, and less that an eighth of a tank of gas. Sighing, she realized that Carter was her only option.

            But how could she go to him? What was she supposed to say, "I still hate you for cheating on me, but here are your children?" She didn't want to say anything to him, expect maybe, "Go to hell."

            But her kids had to eat. Despondently, she headed for the car, twins in tow. Was she going to tell them that he was their father? How was she going to explain his absence? She wished she didn't have to go to him.

            "Where we going, Mommy?" Riley asked.

            "We're going to see a friend of Mommy's," she told him. Putting the twins back in their seats, she headed for the Carter mansion.

___________________________________________________________________________

            It was empty. It looked like Carter was still living here, but no one was home. Sighing, she walked back to the car. What was she going to do now?

            She considered going to County, but realized that she didn't even know if he still worked there. And what if he had a new girlfriend? He probably did. Abby shivered at the thought. She didn't want some other woman cozying up to her kids.

            "That looks like a princess house," Jill observed once Abby was back in the car. "Does a princess live there?"

            "Not exactly, honey."

            Abby decided to go to County. She didn't know where else to look. Hopefully no one would recognize her. If she didn't see Carter, she would leave. And go where, she had no idea.

            That settled, Abby headed for County General.

_____________________________________________________________

            "I wanna get out, Mommy," Jill said when they arrived at County General.

            Abby thought for a moment, then said, "Okay." Having her kids with her would probably make her even harder to recognize to the people she once worked with.

            As she unbuckled the twins from their car seats, she wondered who still worked at County. Was Susan still there? Chen? Did Frank and Jerry still work the desk? 

            Due to her excitement, Abby got out of the car a little faster than she intended. Standing up, she saw black spots, and was thinking, I better sit down, when she passed out.

            "Mommy?" Riley called from the backseat.

            Jill got out of the car and walked over to her mother. "Mommy?" she called, looking at Abby. Mommy did not respond.

            "Mommy's hurt!" Jill exclaimed. "Help!" she yelled, running towards the woman who had just come out of the building.

            "Help!" yelled Riley, running after his sister.

            "Mommy's hurt!" Jill said to the woman, tugging on her hand.

            "Um, what's wrong?" Lara asked nervously.

            "Mommy's hurt! She fell down," Jill explained. She led Lara over to her mother.

            "Oh, my," Lara said, seeing the woman passed out in the parking lot. With her whole body shaking, she ran towards the doors of the ER, yelling, "Doctor Carter! Doctor Carter!"


	7. Abby's Kids

Chapter 7

            It was Doctor Chen who stopped her. "What's wrong, Lara?" she asked, noticing how pale the girl looked.

            Lara, suddenly realizing that Dr. Carter wasn't the only doctor in the hospital, said, "There's a woman who passed out in the parking lot!"

            Chen nodded. Much calmer than Lara, she summoned Macy and told her to get a gurney. The three raced out to the parking lot to the spot where Abby was passed out.

            "Okay, let's get her on a gurney. How did you find her?"

            "I um, I...oh gosh, is she going to be alright?" Lara stammered hysterically.

            Chen and Macy exchanged a glance. "Lara, maybe you should go and sit down," Chen suggested gently.

             Lara nodded and ran off. "Somebody does not need to be a doctor," Macy observed.

            Macy was wheeling the gurney through the doors when Carter walked up and said, "What do we have?"

            Chen was about to answer him when she noticed the look on his face. He looked like he had just seen a ghost, so Chen asked him, "Are you okay, John?"

            Eyes wide, Carter whispered, "Abby?"

            Chen did a double take. The woman on the stretcher did look vaguely familiar... "Oh my gosh, it _is_ Abby!" Chen said loudly, which of course made Chuny, Haleh, and Susan (who were standing around doing nothing) flock to the gurney.

            "What's Abby doing here?" Susan asked, staring at the pale, gaunt woman on the gurney. Obviously, Abby had not been living the high life.

            "Who's Abby?" Macy asked. Chuny gave her a significant look, and she said, "_Oh," remembering the conversation they had had a few days ago._

            "Wow, she looks terrible," Chuny observed. 

            Meanwhile, Carter was still staring at her in shock. Was it really Abby? It seemed so phenomenal, that he was thinking about her, and now, here she was. He wondered if it was some kind of sign. 

            He wondered what she was doing at County. Was she coming to see him? The thought made his heart race with hope. Why else would she be here? He prayed that she was here because after all these years, she had forgiven him.

            All Abby's former coworkers seemed to be in a trance, so finally Macy said, "Um, guys? Don't you think we should take her into a treatment room?"

            That broke the trance. Susan, Haleh, and Chuny all went back to the admit desk, and Chen, Carter and Macy took Abby into Exam 1. All were wondering the same thing: What was Abby doing here?

___________________________________________________________

            Jill and Riley stood in the parking lot, holding hands. When all the people had come out of the big building, they had hidden behind the car. Now the people were gone, and they had taken Mommy with them.

            "We could go inside and find Mommy," Riley suggested. Jill nodded her head, and they walked into the building.

            Immediately recognizing her surroundings, Jill said, "It's a hospital!"

            "But where's Mommy?"

            Jill thought for a moment, then said, "We can go to the playroom. Maybe Mommy will be there." She marched over to a man looking at a piece of paper and tugged on his white coat. "Excuse me, where is the playroom?" Jill asked politely. Abby would have been proud.

            Carter looked down at the cute toddler who was tugging on his lab coat. "Where's your Mommy?" he asked.

            "In the playroom," Jill said, sure that Mommy would be waiting for them there.

            "I'll show you where it is. My name is Doctor Carter."

            "I'm Jill and this is my brother Riley," Jill said, putting her hand on her brother's shoulder.

            "What are you guys doing at the hospital?" Carter asked.

            "We came here to see Mommy's friend. She's a princess," Jill confided. "She lives in a big castle."

            Carter raised his eyebrows. "Wow. A princess right here in Chicago?" Jill nodded emphatically. 

            "She has lots of money and she gonna give us some cause Mommy lost her job," Jill told him.

            "That's very nice of her," Carter said, wondering what they were really doing here. And who would leave their children in an ER waiting room alone? He would make sure their mother was really there before he left them in the playroom.

            They passed a waiting room on the second floor. Jill stopped in front of the sign and stared at it. Finally, she said, "W-A-I-T-I-N-G R-O-O-M. What's that spell?"

            Carter was pretty impressed. "Waiting Room. You can spell really well," he commented.

            "She can spell our name too!" Riley said proudly, finally joining the conversation. Carter looked at her expectantly.

            "W-Y-C-Z-E-N-S-K-I. That spells Wyczenski," Jill told him.

            "You're name's Wyczenski?" Carter asked, his heart quickening. Jill nodded.

            He hadn't heard that name in so many years, but he still remembered it. It was Abby's maiden name. Maybe she was using it now. Were these Abby's kids? That would explain them being alone in the hospital. It seemed unlikely that there would be two women named Wyczenski in the ER on the same day. But ABBY- with kids?

            Another thought occurred to him, and it stopped him dead in his tracks. How old were these kids anyway? They looked about three, which would mean Abby didn't waste any time after leaving him to start sleeping with someone else. Carter was hurt, but what could he expect? He had done it first.

            "How old are you?" he asked, trying to sound casual.       

            Jill held up three fingers. "We're twins, but I'm older than Riley by twenty minutes," she told him.

            "Oh, really? When's your birthday?"

            "April 24."

            Carter stopped walking. Jill said, "What's wrong?" but he didn't hear her. 

            Abby had left him October 19, four years ago. Which would mean that Jill and Riley were born six months after she left.

            Which meant that Abby was three months pregnant when she left him.

            Were these HIS kids? Carter was looking at them in a different light now. Riley had dark, curly hair like him, and Jill's eyes were shaped like his. Fortunately, neither of them had inherited his nose.

            Carter suddenly realized that he was blowing this whole thing out of proportion. He didn't even know that these were Abby's kids; maybe it was just a huge coincidence. But he had to find out. Obviously, another woman waiting for them in the playroom would prove his theory false.

            He realized Jill had asked him what was wrong. "Oh, nothing, I just remembered something," he said. 

            Jill started to chatter about her favorite doll, and Carter studied her face.

            She looked like Abby. She even made the same facial expressions as Abby. Carter had a feeling that these were Abby's children.

            But why was she bringing them here? Carter's heart thudded with hope. Maybe she wanted to make a fresh start. Why else would she bring her kids to his place of employment?

            There was one way to confirm that they were Abby's kids. "Where do you guys live?" he asked.

            "Nowhere. We were coming here to live with Uncle Eric."

            Uncle Eric?! As in, Eric, Abby's brother? "What city did you live in before you came here?"

            "Atlanta. That's in Georgia," Jill informed him.

            It was confirmed now. How likely was it that two women named Wyczenski from Atlanta with a brother named Eric were admitted to the hospital on the same day? Carter realized they must be Abby's kids.

            But that didn't mean these were his kids. What if she had cheated on him first? He hadn't even considered that. She could have been sleeping with some other guy, and these were his kids.

            But he knew she wouldn't do that. Unlike him, Abby was honorable. She wouldn't have cheated on him. Which meant...

            His thoughts were interrupted by his arrival at the playroom. Except for two boys sitting on the floor fighting over a truck, it was empty.

            "Mommy?" Riley called out, his voice trembling.

            "She's not here," Jill said disappointedly.

            "I think I know where she is," Carter said, and led them towards Abby's room.

_________________________________________________________________

            Abby's eyes felt like they were pasted together. Using all her eyelid muscles, she slowly peeled her eyes open to view her surroundings.

            She was lying in a bed. A hospital bed. There was an IV hanging over her head, and she wanted to get up and see what was in it, but she didn't have the strength.

            She suddenly realized that she was not alone in her room. Very not alone. Susan, Chen, Chuny, and Haleh were standing next to her bed, talking. Chuny noticed that she was awake, and nudged the others. They all looked at her, waiting for her to say something.

            "Well, I guess you guys still don't have any work to do around here." She was mortified by how gruff her voice sounded. Had they given her a voice box transplant while she was unconscious?

            Chuny smiled and gave her a (gentle) hug. "It's so good to see you again, Abby. It was like you just dropped off the face of the earth."

            Abby smiled and feebly attempted to hug Chuny back. Suddenly she remembered something. "Where's my kids?"

            All four jaws dropped. Chuny and Haleh exchanged a wide-eyed look. 

            Susan was the first to recover. Stammering slightly, she said, "You have kids?"

            Abby nodded vigorously. "They were with me when I got here. Where are they?" she asked, looking around the room as if they were hidden in a corner somewhere.

            Haleh gave Chuny a knowing look. "It's that stupid girl, Lara. She's the one that found you. Let me tell you, she's never gonna make it as a doctor."

            Chuny nodded in agreement. "I know! We had a patient with a rib fracture, and she said-"

            "Anyway, back to my kids," Abby said, annoyed. Then, realizing how rude she sounded, she added, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be snapping at you guys. But does anyone know where they are?"

            On cue, Carter walked through the door, Jill and Riley in tow. "Mommy!" Riley yelled, flinging himself on his mother.

            "Are you okay, Mommy?" Jill asked, seeing the hospital bed and IV.

            "I'm fine, honey," Abby said to Jill, but she was looking at Carter.

            He hadn't changed a bit in four years. Still good looking, still the same smile that she used to love. He was wearing it now. Abby was reminded of the purpose of her visit, and she felt like melting into her pillow with embarrassment. How was she supposed to beg him for money now? Surely her pride would not survive.

            Her friends could sense the tension between the two of them. "Hey, you guys, want to go and get some ice cream from the cafeteria?" Chen asked.

            Jill and Riley looked eagerly at their mother. She nodded her head, and they leapt off the bed and went to stand by Chen.

            "We're ALL going to get some ice cream, aren't we girls?" Chen said, staring daggers at her coworkers. Reluctantly, they followed her out of the room, and Carter and Abby were left alone.


	8. Reunion

Chapter 8

            "So...I haven't seen you in a while," Carter said, then realized how stupid that sounded. Of course he hadn't seen her in a while; she left him because she found him with another woman! But still, he had to start somewhere.

            "Yeah," Abby said. She had expected to be mad when she saw Carter, but she wasn't, not like she had been when she last saw him. As much as she hated to admit it, she had missed him, and it was kind of nice to see him again.

            "Jill told me that you guys are here visiting a princess who lives in a castle?" Carter said questioningly, raising his eyebrows.

            Abby laughed. "We were at your house, and she said it looked like a castle and decided that a princess must live there."

            "You were at my house?" Carter asked, and Abby realized the significance of her words.

            She nodded casually. "Yeah, but you weren't there."

            Carter wasn't sure what to say. She had been at his house; that must mean she was here to see him. "So, what brings you to Chicago?" he asked casually.

            "We were coming to see Eric," she said, which was partly true.

            "How is he?"

            "Gone. I went to his apartment and he wasn't there." Carter wondered if Eric was staying on his medication now, but he didn't have the nerve to ask.

            "Oh. How's Maggie?" he asked, hoping to ease into things with small talk.

            "Dead," Abby said, affectively ending his small talk. 

            "Oh." There was an uncomfortable silence.

            "You lost your job?" he asked abruptly. Abby looked up at him, and he explained, "Jill told me."

            "Jill needs to learn how to keep her mouth shut," Abby joked, stalling. Then, "I got laid off. You know, cutbacks."

            "Where do you live?"

            "Atlanta," she said, which was an out-and-out lie. She had been kicked out of her apartment in Atlanta, so she couldn't really claim to be a resident.

            "How long you been out of work?"

            "Three weeks. Nobody's hiring nurses."

            Carter nodded, and walked to the end of her bed. He picked up her chart and flipped through it. "Says you're suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, anemia and vitamin deficiency," he said, looking up from the chart at her. She wouldn't meet his eye. "Are you okay?"

            Abby nodded. "I'm fine," she insisted.

            Carter sat on the edge of the bed. "Why'd you come to County?" he asked.

            Abby shrugged.  "I was in the area, figured I'd stop by," she lied. 

            Carter just looked at her. "Abby, you haven't eaten anything in at least a week. What's going on?"

            Abby broke away from his gaze. "Nothing, okay? I've just been really busy. I haven't had time to eat." She realized her explanation sounded stupid, but she hadn't counted on how hard it would be to tell Carter the truth when the time came.

            "Did you come here to see me?" Carter asked. She still wouldn't look at him. "Abby?"

            "Look, Carter, do you think you could just go? I'm not really in the mood for this," Abby snapped. She hadn't realized how hard it would be to see him again. She just wanted to fall into his arms and let him take care of her and her children.

            But she couldn't do that. He had betrayed her, in the worst way you could betray someone, and she couldn't just forget that. Things would never be the same between the two of them again, so she just wanted him to leave her alone. 

            But what about the kids? She had come here to tell him about the kids, and she hadn't done it, she couldn't now. Well, she could tell him later. It wasn't like she was going anywhere.

            "I want to help you, Abby," Carter said, and she couldn't help but scoff. "I'm serious. I know we didn't part on the best of terms but-"

            "You cheated on me, Carter! Don't try to dress it up and make it sound like we broke up so we could pursue different opportunities. I caught you in the supply closet with another woman, which is why I left. That's all there is to it!"

            Well, it was finally out in the open. But for some reason, Carter had been given another chance with Abby, and he wasn't going to blow it. If she didn't forgive him, it wouldn't be because he didn't try. He knelt down next to her bed, so that they were at eye level. "Abby, that was the STUPIDEST thing I've ever done in my entire life, because it made me lose the woman I loved. I know what I did was wrong, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for it," he said sincerely.

            "Well, sorry doesn't fix it, Carter. You did what you did because you wanted to, and you can't just come back and apologize, and expect that to make everything better."

            "I don't expect it to make everything better. But Abby, I don't want us to be enemies. I made a COLOSSAL mistake, but doesn't everybody deserve a second chance?"

            Abby bit her lip. It was hard being right here with him, seeing the regret on his face. But how could she forgive him, after what he had done to her? "I'm really tired, Carter, I just wanna get some sleep," she said.

            Carter jumped to his feet. "Of course. I'll leave you alone. Sweet dreams." He walked to the door and paused. "But could we talk later?" 

            "Sure," Abby heard herself saying. What was she doing? She didn't want to talk to Carter! She wanted him to leave her alone!

            Carter smiled with relief. Well, that was a good sign. "See you later," he said, waving as he left the room.

______________________________________________________________________

            Lara paced nervously behind the admit desk. She knew Dr. Carter was disappointed with her lack of skill. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but it seemed like she couldn't do anything right when it came to treating patients. Maybe she just wasn't meant to be a doctor.

            But she had begged her parents to send her to medical school. They had spent more than $300,000 dollars on her education, and she knew that they wouldn't be happy if she suddenly decided to become a kindergarten teacher.

            So she had to give this doctor thing her best try. Lara looked up at the board. What could she do that would prove her responsibility to Dr. Carter?

            She glanced up at the name of the woman in Exam 1. Did she have some kids with her? Lara smiled excitedly. She knew what she could do! Eagerly, she picked up the phone and began dialing the number. Dr. Carter would be proud of her initiative.

____________________________________________________________________

            Abby was asleep when the social worker arrived, but the grumpy woman had no problem with waking her up. "Miss Wazinky!" she bellowed, jolting Abby from her pleasant slumber.

            "I'm aware that you have your children with you," she said, gesturing towards Jill and Riley, who were lying on the floor coloring. "Do you have a family member who can keep them during your stay in the hospital?"

            "What?" Abby asked, still groggy from being woken up. "No, no family," she muttered.

            "Then they'll have to come with me," said the social worker, snatching Riley's arm.

            "Get off him!" Jill shrieked, kicking the woman in the leg. She howled and grabbed her wounded shin.

            The yells brought Carter into the room. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing the social worker standing in the middle of the room, scowling.

            "This woman will be staying in the hospital and doesn't have any family, which makes her children temporary wards of the state," the woman growled, eyeing Jill.

            "Whoa, slow down! Who called you down here, anyway?" He couldn't imagine any of Abby's former coworkers ratting her out to social services.

            The social worker consulted a card. "Doctor Lara Donovan."

            "Well, Miss Donovan is a student here, and I'm sure that she didn't know that was unnecessary."

            "It was necessary. Any person staying in the hospital who doesn't have-"

            "I know the law; I'm the chief resident in the ER here. You can go now."

            The woman didn't budge. "I cannot leave these children unguarded-"

            "They're staying with me," Carter blurted out.

            "That's highly irregular. I'm not sure if I approve-"

            "You don't have to approve. It's completely legal, which you would know if you studied the custody laws a little closer."

            The woman huffed. Finally, she turned to Abby and asked, "Is this alright with you?" sure she had found a loophole.

            Abby looked at her, unsure of how to answer. She didn't want her kids staying with Carter. She didn't want them to get attached to him, so they would be disappointed when they left. But at least they would be safe with him. Who knew what would happen to them in a foster home?

            So Abby nodded her head. "It's fine with me," she said.

            "I'll be reporting this to my supervisors," the social worker said, storming out of the door.

            "Thanks, Carter," she said once the woman had left.

            "It's okay. Give me the keys to your car so I can get their stuff out."

            Abby shook her head. "No, they can stay here with me in the hospital. They'll be fine here."

            "Abby, you know they come and look in the rooms. They call social services back if you have two toddlers sleeping on your couch."

            Abby sighed, because she knew that was true. Still, she hated sending her children off with someone they barely knew.

            "Jill, Riley? C'mere," she said. She gathered her children in front of her. "You guys can't stay here with me in the hospital. You're going to stay with my friend, Doctor Carter."

            Riley looked worried. "But Mommy, what if something bad happens?"

            "Don't worry, you'll just spend the night at my house," Carter reassured him. "As soon as you get up, we can come back to the hospital and see your mom."

            "I guess that's okay," Jill decided. "But we can come here as soon as we wake up?"

            "As soon as you wake up. Well, you have to get dressed first, of course," he added. Jill and Riley started giggling. 

            "Or you could just come here naked," Abby suggested, which brought on more giggles. When the laughter finally ended, Jill said, "Okay, we'll stay with you, Doctor Carter. But just til Mommy feels better."

            Carter nodded. "Okay," he agreed. The deal made, Jill and Riley returned to the floor and resumed their coloring.

            "You know, you don't have to do this-"

            Carter smiled. "I want to," he said.


	9. The Princess House

Chapter 9

            Jill was speechless when they arrived at Carter's house. "It's the princess house," she breathed. She looked at Carter. "Do you live here?" Carter nodded. "Are you a prince?"

            Carter laughed. "No, not quite," he responded.

            "Is there magic princess stuff in here?" Jill asked.

            "Nope, no magic, just a normal house." Jill looked disappointed.

            He got the suitcase out of the trunk and led them into the house. "I'm hungry," Jill said. "Do you have any food?"

            Carter looked at his watch. It was 9:30. "Well, it's kind of late for dinner, but I guess we could have a little something. Let me show you your room first."

            He led them upstairs to the children's guest room, which had two twin beds. "Wow. This room is nice," Riley observed, bouncing on the bed. Carter set the suitcase down on the floor.

            "Let's go eat," Jill reminded him. Carter took them down to the kitchen.

            "What do you want?" he asked, opening the fridge. Jill and Riley peered at the contents of the lower shelves. 

            "Ooh, bananas!" said Jill.

            "Hot dogs!" exclaimed Riley, mouth watering.    

            "Mashed potatoes!"

            "Cheese!"

            "Chocolate!"

            "PIZZA!" yelled the twins in unison. Grabbing the box, they sat down on the floor and both began devouring the largest slices of  pizza they could find.

            Carter looked at the two children sitting on his kitchen floor, devouring his food like starving refugees. "You two are acting like you haven't eaten in years," he observed.

            "All we had was yucky ramen noodles and sandwiches," Jill said through a mouthful of pizza.

            "How come?"

            Jill shrugged her shoulders. "I guess cause Mommy didn't buy anything else."

            Carter realized how desperate their situation had become. Abby must have been running out of money fast, and for some reason she came to Chicago to see Eric. But Eric wasn't here, so she had been out of options. Was that why she had come to see him? 

            Jill and Riley were back in the fridge, and now they were eating slices of cheese. "Don't eat too much; you're about to go to bed, remember?" He pried the ham from Jill's hand and led them up the stairs.  "The food will still be here tomorrow."

            Jill licked her lips. "Well, I guess that's okay. Could you bring Mommy some food too? She didn't eat anything in a long time."

            "They'll give her food at the hospital," Carter responded, then realized what Jill had said. "How long did she not eat?"

            Jill shrugged. "Since she didn't go to work anymore, I think." 

            Had Abby really gone without food for three weeks? Carter realized that would explain her malnutrition. But could she really have still been walking around after three weeks of fasting? He hoped that Jill was mistaken.

            Carter opened the suitcase and pulled out their threadbare pajamas. He gazed at them sadly. Jill and Riley had probably lived their entire lives in poverty. He wished that Abby had come to Chicago sooner.    

            As he tucked them in, the question still lingered in the back of his mind: were Jill and Riley his son and daughter?

__________________________________________________________________

            When Abby woke up, she was alone for the first time. Her room was eerily silent. Why isn't Carter here with the twins yet? she wondered. She hoped they were okay. They had never been away from her for a whole night.

            Abby wondered how this whole situation was going to end. She couldn't just leave Chicago after she got out of the hospital, could she? If nothing else, she had nowhere to go. But actually being here made her realize how impractical her original plan was. How could she and Carter ever happily coexist as Jill and Riley's parents when she was still mad at him? She really should be applying for jobs in Atlanta right now, but she felt too tired to do anything but sleep.

            She didn't know what was wrong with her. She had been fine before. Sure, she had gone without food for more than two weeks, but she just thought her body had gotten used to it. Except for occasional lightheadedness, she had felt fine. But now, she felt too tired to even get out of bed. Maybe her body realized that she had reached her destination, and it wasn't willing to go a step further.

            She wondered why Carter hadn't asked about the kids yet. Surely, he must have figured out by now that they were his. But for some reason, he hadn't said anything about it. She kind of hoped he wouldn't. If she told him that they were his, she would be committing herself to this plan of action. There would be no going back to Atlanta  and pretending that Carter didn't exist. She knew that he would want to be a part of the twins' lives, and unfortunately that also meant that he would be a part of hers.

            She felt like killing Eric. If it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have been in Chicago in the first place. Sure, things would have been tough, but she would have eventually found another job in Atlanta, and things could have gone on the way they had always been. Her kids didn't need Carter in their lives. He had hurt her badly enough; she wasn't going to let him hurt her children.

            On cue, Carter, Jill, and Riley walked into the room. "Mommy!" Jill and Riley climbed into her bed and wrapped their arms around her. 

            "I missed you, Mommy," Riley said solemnly. 

            "I missed you too, baby," Abby said, and Riley buried her face in her neck.

            As Carter watched the exchange, he thought of how much of their lives he had missed. They were almost four years old now; why hadn't Carter gone back to Atlanta at some point? Maybe then he would have seen that Abby had kids, and drawn the logical conclusion.

            Last night, after Jill and Riley were asleep, Carter gotten a piece of paper and written down what he knew about Abby's situation. He wanted to make sure he had all his facts straight.

            He did. Abby was three months pregnant when she left him. She had lost her job three weeks ago, and it appeared that she had run out of money. She decided to come to Chicago to stay with Eric, but for some reason, Eric wasn't here. So she had gone to his house. Then she had come to County.  

            Carter remembered how mad Abby had been at him, and he knew how well she could hold a grudge. She wouldn't have come to him unless there was any other option. But why would she come to him, if it wasn't to bring him his children? He could see no other reason. So he decided that Jill and Riley must be his kids.

            But he had to make sure. So he would ask her. Today. It would be awkward, but he had to know for sure.

            "Carter lives in the princess house," Jill told her mother. He had told them that they didn't have to call him Doctor Carter; he couldn't bear the thought of his own children calling him Doctor.

            Abby smiled as her daughter began to describe the wonders of the house. It had been a long time since Abby had been in the Carter mansion. Obviously, not much had changed.

            "Abby. I wanted to talk to you. Maybe sometime later today?" Carter suggested, and Abby knew it was something serious. Just what I don't need, she thought. But what could she say? Reluctantly, she nodded her head. She would have to do it sometime.

_____________________________________________________________

            "Have you guys ever been to the zoo?"

            Riley shook his head. "Yes we did, Riley, remember? When we were babies," Jill reminded him.

            "Oh, yeah. I liked that."

            "We have a really nice zoo here in Chicago. You can see the monkeys and camels and-"

            "Snakes! Do they have snakes?"

            Susan nodded her head. "Lots of snakes. It'll be fun."

            Jill grinned, then turned towards the bed. "I'm sorry you can't go, Mommy."

            "I'll bring you back a present!" Riley promised.

            "Thank you, Riley. You guys go and have fun." Susan, Jill and Riley left.

            Carter pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. It was time. "So..." Abby remained silent, so he continued. "I wanted to talk about Jill and Riley." He watched her face carefully to gage her reaction. She looked afraid. His stomach turned. Had he been wrong after all?

            Abby's heart threatened to pound its way out of her chest. He was finally asking. Did she have the nerve to tell him the truth? She wanted to protect her children. What should she do?

            Carter knew that Abby must realize what he wanted, but she wasn't going to make this easy for him. But he had to press forward. He had to know! "Are they...are they mine?"


	10. Carter's Kids

Chapter 10

            Abby's face went through various contortions, and Carter wondered if she was about to throw up. Was it really that hard of a question to answer? Did she even know?

            When Abby finally spoke, he realized that she was trying not to cry. "You shouldn't have to ask, Carter. You know, there are some of us that try and restrain ourselves to sleeping with one person at a time, so that when we get pregnant we know who the father is." Well, that didn't come out the way she had intended. But at least she  made her point. She looked up to see how Carter was taking the news.

            Carter was stunned. Abby had gotten her dig in, but she had told him: they were his. Jill and Riley were his daughter and son. He had been a father for almost four years, but he hadn't even known it. He wished they were here now. He would look at them differently, now that he knew that they were Carters.

            No, they weren't. They were Wyczenskis. Even if they were biologically his children, they barely knew him. Abby was their mother, and that was all they knew. Abby might take them and leave as soon as she got out of the hospital, and they would be none the wiser. She was still mad at him, and he had no idea what her plans for the future were.

            "So...where do we go from here?" he asked.

            "I guess you go back to the Carter mansion and we go back to Atlanta," Abby said, even though she knew that wasn't an option.

            Carter bit his lip. He kind of thought she was going to say that. "Well, where are you going to live? You don't even have a job!" He realized that he had come off sounding much more hostile than he had intended to.

            "That's not really any of your business, is it?" Abby snapped back.

            "Yes it is if you're taking my children with you," Carter said, realizing that this conversation had gone in entirely the wrong direction. He wasn't supposed to attack Abby, he was supposed to help her. 

            Abby folded her arms. "They've been doing just fine without you, Carter, and they can continue doing just fine."

            Carter nodded. He had to get this discussion back on the right track. "I'm sorry, Abby; I didn't mean to attack you like that. But you've been working yourself way too hard, taking care of Jill and Riley. But you have to take care of yourself too. Why don't you come and stay with me when you get out of the hospital, just to give yourself a little break? Then you could-"

            But Abby was already shaking her head. "No, Carter, no. I don't want to stay with you, and I'm doing just fine."

            "Then why did you come here?" Carter asked desperately.

            "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time."

            "Well, it was, and it still is. You can't take care of them by yourself, Abby; you'll burn out."

            "I've been doing it for four years now," Abby pointed out.

            "Yes, you have," Carter conceded, "But look at you. You're exhausted. You need a break. You can't work 24 hours a day. Why don't you let me help?"

            "I don't need your help. Me and MY kids are just fine without you."

            "But where are you going to live, Abby?" he asked, this time much more gently. "How are you going to support them? I know you don't want to live with me forever, but why don't you just stay with me until you find a new job?" 

            Abby pondered his offer. She didn't want to live with him, but it wasn't like she had any other options. "Let me think about it, okay?" she said. Hopefully, she could come up with some other living arrangement before she got out of the hospital.

            Carter nodded. "Okay. But I have plenty of space, Abby. It would be really nice to have someone else in the house." He was almost begging at this point, and Abby felt bad for him. They were his kids too; didn't he deserve to see them? She wasn't sure what to do.

            She had been holding a grudge against him for almost four years. Maybe it was time to let go. But he had cheated on her! How could she forget that? How could they go back to being friends, when he had betrayed her trust? She couldn't allow herself to be fooled by Carter's charm. 

            She had to come up with somewhere else to stay. Until then, she would be relying on Carter's good will.

_____________________________________________________________

            Susan plopped down next to Carter on the bench. "So how are things going with you and Abby?" she asked.

            "I think I convinced her to stay with me," Carter said.

            Susan raised her eyebrows. "How did you manage that?" she asked incredulously.

            "She doesn't have anywhere else to go. She lost her job and got kicked out of her apartment, and she spent her last dime coming here."

            "Why'd she come here?"

            "Evidently, Eric said she could come and live with him, but when she got here, he was gone."

            Susan shook her head. "That stinks," she said. "So she decided to come to County?" she asked, fishing for details.

            "Jill and Riley are my kids. She came to tell me," Carter admitted.

            Susan's jaw dropped. "Wow. And you didn't know about them or anything?"

            "Of course I didn't know about them. Do you think I would have just written Abby off if I knew she was raising my children?"

            "So what are you two gonna do now?"

            Carter looked down. "I don't know. She's still pretty mad at me."

            "She has every right to be," Susan pointed out.

            "But I can't take it back. If I could, I would. Abby's the best thing that ever happened to me, and I lost her because I was an idiot. I just wish we could start over. I wish she knew how much I regret what I did. It was so stupid, you know? I didn't even like that woman, but she kept following me around, and then she followed me into that supply closet, and before I knew it things got carried away. But I never meant to hurt Abby. I loved her; I still do. I just- I wish she would forgive me," Carter said, his head bowed with sadness.

            "Then tell her, Carter. Maybe if you tell her that, she'll be willing to give you another chance."

            Carter nodded. "You're right," he said. He stood up from the bench. "I'm gonna go talk to her. Can you take Jill and Riley to the park or something?"

            Susan grinned and saluted him. "Susan Lewis, babysitter. That's what I'm here for."


	11. Another Chance

A/N: **Lesley, WolfLMB:** Fear not, your comments have not gone unheard. There's not gonna be a WHOLE lot of the other characters, because after all this is a Carby story, but I will be working some more of Susan and the kids into upcoming chapters.

**Pissed Off Poet: Don't worry, they're gonna get down to the nitty-gritty soon enough…******

Chapter 11

            "And as soon as this IV is finished, you should be ready to go," said the nurse. "The doctor should discharge you around one."

            "Thank God," Abby said. "I can't stand much more of this place."

            "Hey, Abby," Carter said, entering the room. 

            "Hey, Carter," Abby said, imitating his easy tone. He hoped that meant she was in a good mood. 

            "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Abby motioned to the chair sitting next to her bed.

            Carter sat down and adjusted his jacket. He wasn't sure where to start, though he had rehearsed what he was going to say several times in his head. What was he supposed to start with? Was it an apology, or an explanation?

            "Carter?" Abby said, looking at him curiously. He had sat down by her bed, then proceeded to stare off into space like she didn't exist. Was this what he had come here for?

            Carter was jolted out of his reverie. He decided to just start talking. Hopefully, the right words would come to him.

            "Abby, what I wanted to talk about was...what I did. Four years ago." Abby's face hardened, so he sped up. "I wanted to apologize. There was no excuse for what I did, but I want us to move on." No! That wasn't what he meant to say!

            Abby nodded her head, and he could tell that she was mad. "Oh, I see. You want us to move on. I guess by 'move on', you mean 'I forget what you did and we all just pretend it never happened'."

            "I'm, I'm sorry, that wasn't what I meant to say-"

            "And I guess that wasn't what you meant to do, either? Somehow, you just ended up in a closet feeling up some woman, and it just wasn't what you intended to happen."

            "No, it wasn't-"

            "Well, I guess it's a shame that fate just worked against you, huh?" Abby said sarcastically.

            "Abby, I don't think it was right-"

            "No, it wasn't," Abby interrupted. "It was the worst thing that anyone's ever done to me, Carter. Ever. So don't think you can make it all go away with an apology." With that, Abby stormed out of the room, IV pole racing angrily behind her.

            Carter sat by her bed, stunned. She was still furious about this, obviously. He wished he hadn't botched it up by saying something so stupid! He wondered if there were any words he could say that would make her forgive him.

_______________________________________________________________________________

            Abby sat on the park bench, shivering. She had forgotten how cold it was in Chicago. In Atlanta, November meant 65 degrees. Here in Chicago, it meant bitterly cold winds. She considered going back inside, but didn't want to run the risk of bumping into Carter again. So she sat outside.

            What was she going to do? She couldn't believe Carter thought he could just apologize and make everything better. He had cheated on her, and nothing was going to change that. If she was living in his house, he would probably be trying to make up every second of the day. It would be unbearable.

            Once again, Abby reviewed her options. Maybe she could stay with Susan. But she had only talked to Susan once in the past four years, and that was yesterday. Could she really ask Susan to not only let her and her children live in Susan's apartment, but also to feed them until she could get back on her feet? She didn't think she had that much nerve. 

            She tried to think of who else she could freeload off, but Susan was probably her closest friend who was still living in Chicago. And if she couldn't ask Susan, she couldn't ask anyone. So, unless she came up with a new plan in the next few hours, it looked like she would still be staying with Carter.

            She heard footsteps approaching, and was not surprised when they stopped at the bench. A hand was extended, offering a jacket, but she ignored it. Finally, a voice said, "Are you gonna take this jacket before my arm falls off?"

            Abby glanced up in surprise. "Susan? What are you doing out here?" She took the jacket and put it on. God, it felt good.

            Susan sat down next to Abby on the bench. "I saw you running out of the ER, so I figured your talk with Carter probably hadn't gone all that well."

            "He told you about it?" Abby asked, wondering just how close Carter and Susan were. Had they ever started dating again? 

            "Actually, I gave him the idea," Susan admitted.

            Abby stared at her. "Why?" she asked, dumbfounded. She would have thought that Susan would be on her side on this one.

            "Well, you guys have two kids together. Like it or not, you're gonna be spending a lot of time together for the next 14 1/2 years. So you might as well get along."

            "I know," Abby conceded. "But how am I supposed to forgive him after what he did to me?"

            "I don't know. I have to admit, if a guy I was dating cheated on me, I'd probably hire a hit man," Susan said nonchalantly. Abby laughed. "I'll be the first one to say, Carter was a real idiot. But it's been four years. He's spent four years regretting what he did." Seeing the skeptical look on Abby's face, she continued, "You haven't been here, Abby. You haven't seen how much he's cried for you, or when he told me it was the worst day of his life. Do you know that, in four years, he hasn't been on a single date?" Abby bit her lip. She appeared to be thinking. "He still loves you. He was so excited when he saw you here, because he thought you came here to say you forgave him. He has been living with the guilt of what he did for years. Yes, he made a mistake- a HUGE mistake- but don't we all? He's paid for what he did, Abby. He's been a father for four years without even knowing it. Isn't that punishment enough?  Don't you owe it to yourself to give him another chance? Don't you owe it you your kids?"

            Abby looked up at Susan. "You're right," she said. "You're absolutely right. Jill and Riley deserve a father. They deserve to live in a nice house, to not have to worry about being put out on the street, or about what they're going to eat." Abby was looking down now, biting her lip.

            Susan wrapped her arms around her. "You've done a good job with them, Abby. But you've had a run of bad luck, and you need Carter's help. Why not give him another chance?"

            Abby thought for a moment, then lifted her head so that she was at Susan's eye level. "You know, maybe I will."

___________________________________________________________________

            Carter paced around Abby's hospital bed. The doctor had discharged her thirty minutes ago. Where was she? She wouldn't have just left, would she? He didn't see anything of hers around the room, but he honestly couldn't remember what had been here. His heart twisted in his chest. What if he didn't get to make things right with her? What if he didn't get to see Jill and Riley again?

            He almost fainted from relief when Abby walked in the door. "Oh, thank God, I thought you were gone," he said, walking towards her as if he was going to hug her, and stopping himself just in time. In his excitement, he had forgotten himself. "Where were you?"

            "I was talking to Susan, if that's alright, Dad," Abby said jokingly.

            Carter realized how his question must have sounded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

            "It's okay Carter, I was just joking."

            "Oh." Carter ran his fingers through his hair. " Look Abby, I just wanted to say I didn't mean to make you mad. I had a speech prepared, but I was so nervous I guess I forgot it." He gulped and looked at Abby. Well, at least she didn't look mad. That was always a good sign. "I just wanted to say- I shouldn't have done what I did. It was absolutely, completely unacceptable. I really didn't mean to hurt you, Abby, but I just got caught up in the moment. I've spent the past four years wishing I could take back what I did.

            "You have every right to be mad, and I know that. I was the idiot, I threw our relationship away. But I want us to be friends again. I don't want you to hate me anymore." He looked at Abby, an almost desperate look on his face.

            When Abby looked at him, saw the sadness and regret in his eyes, she almost felt sorry for him. Had he really been living in torment all these years, wishing for her forgiveness?  She hoped not. Even Carter didn't deserve that kind of punishment.

            "I don't know if things can ever be the way they were before," Abby said softly. "I just, I don't know if I can trust you anymore."

            Carter looked crushed. She wanted to give him a big hug and tell him the everything was going to be okay, but was it, really? How would this end?

            "Okay, I...I understand," Carter said in a shaky voice. "We should probably go now."

            His face was etched with heartbreak, and it was more than Abby could take. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry about this," she said, though she didn't know what she was apologizing about. After all, SHE hadn't done anything. But she was sorry that he felt this badly.

            Carter was stunned by her actions. Could this be real? Had Abby actually hugged him out of her own free will? He lifted his arms and placed his hands on her back, and he realized that it was, indeed, real. Abby was hugging him. Did that mean she wasn't mad at him?

            He wanted to ask, but he didn't dare to break the spell of the moment. He felt tears coming to his eyes. This was what he had been dreaming of for years. "I'm sorry, Abby," he said in a husky voice. "I'm so sorry."

            At the sound of his voice, Abby felt her anger at him slowly melting away. How could she stay mad at this guilt-ridden man? She saw that he had, indeed, paid the price for his mistake.

            "It's okay, Carter. I'm not mad anymore." After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I forgive you."

            Carter felt like he was in a dream. He had been waiting to hear those words for so long. Had Abby really forgiven him? It seemed too wonderful to imagine.

            But it had happened. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me," Carter said. He tightened his arms around her.

            He was right. Abby had no idea that it had bothered him that much that she was still mad at him. She hadn't realized until that moment that he was really, truly sorry for what he had done. Maybe they could have some semblance of friendship after this.

            Carter and Abby stayed in that position, locked in each other's arms, until a nurse came and asked them to clear the room. Then, and only then, they reluctantly parted, and headed to Carter's car.


	12. Family Gathering

Chapter 12

When Susan and the twins returned from their latest excursion, Susan could sense the difference in the atmosphere between Carter and Abby. "Ah, it looks like someone took Aunt Susan's advice," she said. Both Carter and Abby smiled at her. "Okay, now I know you guys made up! I'd say you both owe me a debt of gratitude," she said, smiling back at them. She would get the details from both of them later, when they were alone.

"I'm hungry!" Jill announced, tugging on her mother's pants leg. "When are we gonna eat?"

"The pizza should be here any minute," Carter said, which elicited cheers from the kids. "You wanna stay for dinner, Susan?"

"Nah, I wouldn't wanna intrude on the family gathering," she said. Abby gave her a look and gestured towards the twins. "Oh," Susan said. Obviously, they hadn't told them yet. "See you tomorrow, Carter."

"Actually, you won't. I took some time off."

"Oh," Susan said, a smile threatening to turn up the corners of her mouth. "I get it." She winked at Abby.

"Just get out of here!" Abby said, but she had a smile on her face. Susan happily obliged. She wanted to give the happy couple more time alone.

"I'm hungry!" Jill said again as soon as Susan had left. "Could we have some cereal?"

"The pizza'll be here in a few minutes," Abby told her. Jill frowned. She suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, it's Riley!"

They all wondered what she was talking about, but they soon found out. Jill picked up a picture frame from an end table. "It's a picture of Riley!" she said, smiling. "Who's that other boy?"

Carter looked at Abby. Abby looked at Carter. Since Abby obviously wasn't going to be any help in this situation, Carter walked over to the couch next to where Jill was standing, and sat down.

"How come you've got a picture of Riley, Carter?" she asked, climbing into his lap.

Carter smiled down at his daughter. "Actually, that's a picture of me and my brother, Bobby," he said.

"How come it looks like Riley?" Jill asked.

Carter looked to Abby for help. Abby said, "Pizza's here!" 

In actuality, the pizza delivery guy had just pulled into the driveway, but Abby was happy to go outside and wait for him. The arrival of food took Jill's mind off her question.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Did you guys have fun today?" 

Riley and Jill nodded vigorously. "Aunt Susan took us to the playground and she pushed me on the swing," Riley said. "It was fun."

"I'm glad," Abby said, tucking them into their beds. "Now you guys know if you need me, my room is right across the hall, okay?"

"Okay," they chorused.

"Mommy?" said Jill.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we could live with Carter instead of Uncle Eric? I like living in a princess house!" Jill said eagerly.

Abby bit her lip. "I don't think so, honey. This is Carter's house. We can't just live here forever, you see?"

No," Jill said sadly. "I like this house. It's a lot nicer than our apartment. Are we going back there?"

"No. We might even stay here in Chicago, and we can come here and visit!" Abby said brightly.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"What did Aunt Susan mean when she said we were a family gathering?"

Abby gulped. She didn't think Jill had heard that. "Ask me tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Good night, Mommy."

"Goodnight Jill. Goodnight Riley."

Abby walked into the kitchen, where Carter was drinking a cup of coffee.

"What's so funny?" he asked, seeing the smile on her face.

"Jill just asked me if we could live in your house forever," Abby told him.

"Why can't you?" Carter asked.

Abby smiled, then realized that he was not joking. "We can't live here, Carter."

"Why not?" he asked.

"It just...wouldn't work," she told him.

He looked at her. "Why not? We could live in different parts of the house if you want." he suggested, which elicited a smile from Abby. "But it would be nice. We could both see the kids and everything. Besides, this house is too big for one person." 

"Get a roommate," Abby suggested.

"Well, are you at least planning on staying in Chicago?" he asked her, holding his breath.

She appeared to be thinking for a moment. "I don't know, Carter."

Carter sighed. "Well, why not? You've had four years with them. All I want is for you to stay close enough so I can see them. Is that too much to ask?"

"Don't act like I owe you something-"

"You DO owe me something! You owe me the four years you spend in Atlanta hiding them from me!"

Abby looked down. "Well, what was I supposed to do? You hurt me, and I didn't want anyone to ever hurt my children like that. By the time I found out I was pregnant, I was already settled in Atlanta. Was I just supposed to come back so you could ruin their lives, too?"

Carter rolled his eyes. "Stop being dramatic. You know me better than that. You know I would have done everything I could to take care of them if I had known they existed. But you didn't give me the chance. You kept them away from me because _you _were mad, but the only ones you hurt were them." Abby was left to ponder his words as he left the room.

__________________________________________________________________________

When Abby woke up in the large, soft, four-poster bed, for a moment she was confused. Where am I? she wondered. She knew she wasn't in her apartment in Atlanta.

Oh yeah, Carter's house. She sat up in the bed and sleepily glanced at her watch. It was 10:30. She leapt out of the bed in alarm. She couldn't believe she had slept that late!

After rushing into her clothes, she went across the hall and discovered that the twins' room was empty. Of course they're already up, it's almost noon, she chided herself. She heard laughter coming from downstairs, and followed the noise.

"And then I said, 'Would you like to dance?'"

"And Mommy said yes, didn't she?" Riley asked eagerly.

"Yes, she did."

"And Mommy was dressed up all pretty so she looked like a princess, wasn't she?"

Abby arrived in the kitchen in time to see the smile spreading across his face. "Yes, she did. She looked beautiful."

Abby saw the mischievous grin exchanged between Jill and Riley, and she knew what they had up their sleeves. They deserve a father, she thought, looking at the happy looks on their faces at spending time with Carter. I wonder how they'll react when we tell them they have one?

"What about that one?" Riley asked, pointing down. Abby moved a little closer, and saw that they were looking at a photo album. A sad smile came to her lips. 

"That was when we had a party for everybody who worked in the ER, and-"

"Mommy worked in the ER?" Jill interrupted. Carter nodded. "When?"

"It was a long time ago, before you two were even born."

Jill gazed silently at the picture of Carter and Abby with their arms around each other. She seemed to be figuring something out. Finally, she asked, "Were you Mommy's boyfriend?"

Abby saw Carter's face redden, and she thought, Let's see him try to get himself out of this one. After a moment of silence, he said, "Yes, I was."

Abby saw the excited look Jill gave Riley, and she could see the wheels in her daughter's mind spinning. "How could you're not anymore?"

Abby chose this moment to make her entrance. "Hey, there you guys are," she said. Carter flashed her a grateful look.

"Mommy, Carter bought us some new toys!" Riley exclaimed. He held up an action figure. 

Abby felt bad. He had bought the toys that she had wanted to buy for the kids, but didn't have the money for. "That's really nice, honey. Why don't you go in you room and play with them for a little while? I want to talk to Carter."

Jill smiled and nodded. She grabbed Riley's hand and led him out of the room, whispering all the while. Carter must have interpreted Abby's statement as angry, because as soon as the twins had left the room he said, "I'm sorry about getting into all that but I forgot what was in that photo album-"

"It's okay," Abby said. 

There was a lengthy pause. "I wanted to apologize. I guess I got sort of mad, but I shouldn't have said what I did," Carter said slowly. 

Abby smiled slightly. Good old Carter; always the first to apologize, even when he wasn't wrong. "No, I should be the one apologizing. You were right. I...shouldn't have been gone all that time, and not tried to contact you or anything. I guess I was just thinking with my emotions. I wanted to protect my kids, you know? But it wasn't the right choice," Abby finally admitted. 

"You were doing what you thought was best," Carter said. Then, trying to make the most of the situation, he asked, "So, will you stay?"

Abby allowed a small smile to appear on her face. "Yeah, I'll stay in Chicago. It's the least I can do," she added meaningfully.

Carter smiled. "Great. Now all I have to do is convince you to stay _here..."_

Abby grinned. "Not likely," she asked, glad to lighten the moment, Then, she said, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something else." Carter waited patiently. "I think it's time for us to tell them." Carter looked confused. "That you're their father."

Carter looked panicked. "Right now?" he asked, smoothing his hair nervously like he was preparing for an interview.

Abby shrugged. "Why not?" she asked.

"Okay."

"Are you going to tell them or do you want me to?"

Carter bit his lip. "I guess you should," he said finally. "You're their mother, after all."

"Okay; you ready?"

Carter nodded nervously. He followed Abby up the stairs, and it felt like the longest trek of his life.


	13. Mommy and Daddy

Chapter 13

            Jill and Riley were sitting on the floor playing with cars when Abby and Carter entered the room. "Hey, guys," Abby said. Carter envied her calmness.

            In reality, Abby was anything but calm. She was about to change her children's lives forever. Once she told them, there was no turning back. She knew she had to do this, but she was nervous anyway.

             "C'mere guys," Abby said, gathering her children around her. "I have something I want to tell you."

            Jill, noting the serious tone of her mother's voice, said, "Is it a bad something?"

            Abby shook her head. "No, it's not a bad something. It's a very good something as a matter of fact, and it's very important." Abby took a deep breath. How should she start?

            "You know how you asked if Carter was my boyfriend?" Jill and Riley both nodded silently, aware that important news was about to be delivered. "Well, a long time ago, I used to live here in Chicago. Carter and I worked together in the ER we went to a few days ago." Jill and Riley were both looking at her intently, and she continued.

            "Carter and I dated for a while, and we were very good friends. But we got mad at each other, and I moved to Atlanta. That was right before you were born." Carter was relieved that she had portrayed his indiscretion so innocuously.

            "When I left, Carter didn't know that I was going to have a baby. Well, two babies actually. You two were born a few months after I moved to Atlanta. We lived there up until a few weeks ago. When I came to Chicago and I couldn't find Uncle Eric, I brought you guys to Carter's house because I knew he would take care of you."

            Carter gazed at Abby, impressed by her candidness. Even though she was looking at the twins, he knew she was talking to him, telling him that all really was well. She was about to tell them; he looked at their faces so he could gauge their reactions.

            "You see, Carter is your daddy. That's why you came to live with him while I was in the hospital. I knew you would be safe with him."

            Both Jill and Riley looked at their mother in shock, mouths hanging open. Then, they turned to look at Carter, obviously viewing him in a different light.

            As usual, Jill spoke for both of them. "You're really our daddy?" she asked breathlessly, hoping for a positive response.

            Carter nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm really your daddy," he said, saying it aloud for the first time. The word felt strange on his tongue. Well, he would get used to it.

            Riley was the first to respond. With a smile slowly spreading across his face, Riley walked over to Carter and wrapped both arms tightly around his leg. "I'm glad you're my Daddy," he said. "If I could have picked a Daddy, I would have picked you."

            Carter was touched by the words, and he picked Riley up and wrapped his arms around him. "And I couldn't have picked a better son," he said, a smile spreading across his face.

            Meanwhile, Jill was grinning up at her newfound father. "That means we can stay here, right? And you and Mommy can love each other again, right?" she asked, her glance eagerly shifting between her two parents.

            That broke the happiness of Carter's moment. Jill and Riley were both looking at him expectantly, but he remembered what Abby has said. He hated to disappoint them, but what else could he say?

            Fortunately, Abby answered for him. "I'm not sure about that, Jill. But we'll still live in Chicago, so you can come and visit Car- Daddy." The word felt just a strange on Abby lips.

            Abby had never seen her daughter look so sad. "But why not, Mommy? If Carter's our Daddy, why can't we all live here?" Neither Carter nor Abby knew what to stay.

            Jill silently took Carter left hand and Abby's right. She held them for a moment, then joined them, so that Abby and Carter were holding hands, like it or not. "We could be a family," she said dreamily, looking up at her parents with hope. She stood between the two of them, as if her presence could bring them together.

            She didn't know how close that was to the truth.

_____________________________________________________________________

            After Carter had laid the twins down for their nap, he went into the kitchen, where Abby was making a phone call. The newspaper was open in front of her, and though Carter could only hear one side of the conversation, he knew what she was talking about.

            "Yes, how much would that be...nine hundred a month! Does that include utilities?...oh, it doesn't...how much would it be for a one bedroom?...no, I said I wanted two...well, how much would it be for two bedrooms?...Okay, thank you." Abby hung up the phone. "Eleven hundred dollars for two bedrooms! It's ridiculous!"

            "No, what's ridiculous is you searching for an apartment you can't even afford, when I told you you all could stay here with me." When he saw the stubborn look on her face, he asked, "Have you even found a job yet?"

            "I have some pretty good prospects. I went for an interview yesterday, and it looked pretty promising."

            Carter sighed. "Abby, you shouldn't be doing this. You just got out of the hospital, you're supposed to be resting, remember?"

            "I'm fine, Carter. I want us to go ahead and get settled in our own place. It's not good for them to be moving around like this."

            "Then why don't you stay here?" Carter demanded, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice.

            "Because there's no point in them getting used to living here. The longer we stay here, the higher their hopes are that we're going to be here forever. I've disappointed them enough already."

            Carter pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "No you haven't, Abby. You've been a great mother to them, and you've done an excellent job of providing for them by yourself." He paused. "But you're not alone anymore. They're my kids too, and I want to help you. You need to get some rest and build your health back up, and I need to get to know my kids. You've spend your whole life worrying about them day and night. Let me take a turn, okay?" Abby smiled. "How about you just stay for another week? You can spend some time resting, and I can spend some time with the kids. After that, you can start looking for a new job. How bout it?"

            Abby shook her head. "It's not like I had pneumonia. It was just a mild case of malnutrition."

            "And dehydration, anemia, and vitamin deficiency," Carter reminded her.

            "But anyway, I don't need a week to recuperate. And it will devastate them if they get used to living here, just to have to move away in a while. They need some stability in their lives."

            "Then don't leave," Carter said abruptly. "I just met them, Abby. I want to get to know them, spend some time with them. I've missed so much of their lives, just give me a little time, okay?"

            Abby looked down, undecided. After all, it was her fault that Carter had missed so much of their lives; didn't she owe it to him to give him a chance to get to know them? Fortunately for Abby, the sound of Jill crying interrupted their discussion. "Jill must be having a nightmare. I better go check on her," she said, fleeing up the stairs.

            "What's the matter, honey?" she asked, kneeling over her daughter's bed.

            "I had a bad dream, Mommy. I don't wanna sleep anymore," she whimpered, huddling next to her mother. Her crying had woken Riley, who sat up in his bed.

            "Where's Daddy?" Riley asked his mother. Abby was amazed at how soon he had gotten used to the new name.

            "He's in the kitchen, Riley," she told him, stroking Jill's hair.

            "Daddy!" Riley yelled, surprising them all. In a matter of seconds they heard Carter's footsteps on the stairs.

            It warmed Carter's heart to hear himself being called Daddy, and he was out of his seat before Riley's call had ended. He bounded up the stairs to check on his son. "What's wrong, Riley?" he asked, seeing Riley sitting peacefully on his bed.

            Riley shrugged. "Nothing," he said, holding out his arms. He was jealous of the attention Jill was receiving from their mother, but now, there was enough attention to go around.

            Jill, distracted by Carter's arrival, had stopped crying. "Can we get up now?" she asked.  

            "Yeah, I'm not tired anymore," Riley agreed.

            Abby stood up and was about to respond when a familiar dizziness overtook her. Not again, she thought just before she passed out.


	14. Bed Rest

Chapter 14

            When Abby opened her eyes, there were two sets of eyes eagerly peering down at her. "Are you okay, Mommy?" Riley asked, pressing a small hand to her forehead.

            Abby smiled and reached up to touch his face. "I'm okay, honey. I'm just kind of tired."

            "Daddy said you haven't been taking good enough care of yourself," Jill said.

            "But don't worry, we're going to take care of you," Riley reassured her.

            "We sure are!" Carter said cheerily, entering the room. "In fact, we might just have to tie you to the bed and tape your eyelids shut," Carter said. Jill and Riley giggled.

            "I'm touched by your devotion," Abby said dryly.

            "We're gonna make you lunch, Mommy!" Riley said excitedly.

            "Oh yeah?" Both twins nodded eagerly. "What are you making?"

            Jill and Riley turned to look at Carter, who was obviously the creator of the plan. He shrugged. "We haven't decided yet. But while we do, you're going to lie there get some rest. If I hear you moving around, I'll be back up here with my stun gun." Jill and Riley both laughed, even though neither of them knew what a stun gun was.

            "Why do I feel like I'm being ganged up on?" Abby commented as Carter, Jill, and Riley were heading out the door.

            "Probably because you are," Carter commented, then said, "How about spaghetti?"

            "Or pizza!" said Jill.

            "Or cheese!" suggested Riley. 

            "I don't think you can make cheese with the supplies I have on hand..." 

            As soon as they had left the room, Abby closed her eyes and laid her head back on her pillow, trying to ignore the way the room was spinning. Wasn't she supposed to be getting better? 

            When Carter sent Jill up to check on Abby five minutes later, he wasn't surprised when she reported that her mother was fast asleep. Abby had been working herself too hard; she needed the rest. Hopefully, this would convince her to stay here until she was feeling better.

_____________________________________________________________

            When Abby woke up, it was dark outside. She was disoriented; why am I sleeping in my clothes? she wondered. Then, she remembered that she had fallen asleep sometime around noon. It was eight-thirty. 

            She leapt out of the bed, then thought better of it. She was still lightheaded, so she laid back down on the bed quickly to keep herself from passing out again. She closed her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.

            She heard the door creaking open, and cracked one eyes to see who it was. "Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked groggily.

            "You needed the rest," said Carter, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Are you feeling any better?"

            Abby started to nod, but her head hurt too much for that, so she simply groaned out a "Yeah." She looked around the dark room. "Where are the kids?" she asked.

            "I put them to bed."

            "God, I missed the whole day."

            "Yeah, pretty much." Carter paused for a moment. "Abby, you really shouldn't be out looking for a job in this condition. You're pushing yourself too hard, and you need just take a break, get some rest."

            "I'm okay, Carter. I'm just a little lightheaded."

            "Have you been taking the vitamins the doctor gave you?"

            "For the most part," Abby lied. In reality, she had lost the bottle of vitamins the first day she was at Carter's house. She didn't have money to buy any more, and she would have felt like an idiot asking Carter, so she just forgot about them.

            "You need to take better care of yourself."

            "I'm okay. Really. I don't really need the vitamins. I was fine without them before."

            "Okay, fine. You're a grown woman, and I can't tell you what to do. But think about it, okay?"

            "Sure," she said, just to make him happy. As soon as Carter left, Abby closed her eyes again. Just a little more rest...

___________________________________________________________________

            "How's Abby doing?"

            "Abby?" Carter asked distractedly, flipping through a stack of charts.

            "Yeah, you know, that woman living in your house?" Susan reminded him.

            "Oh, yeah, she's doing better. Still a high fever, but she's not vomiting anymore, and I even got her to take a little food yesterday."

            "Still can't convince her to come to the hospital?"

            "No. She's adamant about that. She wants to be with her kids."

            Susan smiled. "So what's it like, being a dad and all?" she asked eagerly, propping herself up on the counter for a long discussion.

            "It's great," Carter admitted. "Jill and Riley are just- the greatest kids I've ever met."

            "Every parent thinks that," Susan said, but she was smiling.

            "It was so wild, you know? Just having Abby show up all of a sudden, and seeing Jill and Riley, and figuring out they were her kids. I kept wondering if they were mine, hoping really, but I was too scared to ask for a while. But now...I'm getting to know them, and it's great. I just wish things could stay this way forever."

            "Is she still planning on moving out?"

            "I think so, but I can't understand why," Carter said woefully. "It would be so perfect if she stayed with me. We could both see the kids all the time; we wouldn't have to go to court and fight over custody like idiots. She wouldn't have to rush out and find some overpriced apartment, and the twins wouldn't have to move AGAIN. I guess it's just because she doesn't want to live in the same house with me," he said sadly.

            "Yeah, I guess so. But maybe you can talk some sense into her, after she's feeling better. Emphasize how good it would be for the kids."

            "I've already tried every angle, but I'll try again. And I'll keep trying until the day she moves out."

            "That's the spirit!" cheered Susan.

_____________________________________________________________

            How long have I been here? was the first thought that entered Abby's head when she woke up. She turned over in the bed and peeled open her dry eyelids to glare at the clock. 12pm. But what day was it? What month, for that matter?

            Abby was staring at the wall when Carter came in. "Hey Abby, how ya feeling?"

            "How long have I been here?" Abby asked in a deep scratchy voice. She was horrified at the sound. How many years had it been since she had spoken?

            "A week," Carter said. "Feeling any better?" He picked up a thermometer and inserted it in her mouth before she could answer.

            A whole week? Abby's mind was a blur. She could vaguely remember the kids coming in to see her, eating soup, and taking a cold bath. But had that taken a week?

            "101.6," Carter observed, looking at the side of the thermometer.

            "What's wrong with me?" Abby asked, in a voice not quite so scratchy.

            "To be honest, I don't know. If I could take you to the hospital, run some tests..."

            Ah, that was another thing she remembered. Carter trying to get her to go to the hospital. He had asked several times, and she had said no every time, but she couldn't remember why. Well, she must have had a good reason. "No," she repeated firmly, and Carter sighed. Oh yeah, the kids! She wanted to stay in the house to she could be with the kids. She had already been away from them so long while she was in the hospital; she didn't want them to feel like she was leaving them again so soon.

            Carter was saying something now, probably about the wonders of the hospital, but Abby's eyelids felt heavier that bricks. Almost against her will, her eyes were closing, and Abby soon found herself fast asleep once again.

_______________________________________________________________

            "Can we go say good night to Mommy?" asked Riley, sitting on the edge of his bed.

            "Not tonight; Mommy's asleep."

            "Is Mommy still sick?" Jill asked. Carter nodded. "How long is she gonna be sick?"

            "I don't know, Jill," Carter said, lifting Jill into the bed.

            "Mommy's not going to die, is she?" Riley asked.

            "No, of course not! She's going to get better," Carter reassured them, though he himself was not so sure. Abby's mysterious ailment was like none he had ever seen, and he had no idea what was wrong with her. If only she would let him take her to the hospital for tests...

            Abby had been sick for a week now. Carter decided that if she didn't improve in a few days, he was taking her to the hospital, whether she wanted to go or not. What was she going to do, leap out of his car?

            "When Mommy gets better, do we have to leave?"

            "You won't be leaving right away, but yes, soon you'll move into an apartment of your own. But it will be near here, so that you can come and visit me." At least, Carter hoped it would be near.

            "Why don't you want us to live with you?" Riley asked sadly.

            Carter felt awful. What could he say to that that wouldn't make Abby look like a bad guy? "It's not that I don't want you to live with me, but it's not going to work out that way," Carter said, knowing how lame his explanation sounded.

            "Why not?"

            "I don't know," he admitted. "But you might be able to come and stay with me sometimes," he added, trying to cheer them up.

            The twins were disappointed, but they still allowed Carter to read them their bedtime story. Over the past few weeks, Carter had taken over the bedtime ritual that they were used to their mother performing. They had settled into the routine, and Carter was not looking forward to the time when his house would be empty again.

            By the time the story had ended, Riley was sound asleep. "Goodnight," Carter whispered quietly, tiptoeing towards the door.

            "I love you, Daddy," Jill said sleepily.

            Those simple words were enough to stop Carter dead in his tracks. These were his kids. He didn't want them to leave. He loved them, all three of them, and even though he knew it was too much to ask, he wanted them all to live happily ever after. He gazed at Jill's tiny mouth, which had so innocently uttered the phrase. How could he let Abby take them away?

            "I love you too, Jill," he said quietly before walking out the door.


	15. Not A Family

Chapter 15

            "You're looking better," Carter commented as Abby walked into the kitchen.

            "Looks can be deceiving," Abby said groggily. She sat at the table and laid her head down.

            "Want some pancakes?" Carter asked cheerily, flipping over a perfectly round golden circle. Abby groaned in response.

            "How bout coffee?" Carter asked, depositing a pancake onto a plate.

            "Sure. Make mine with scotch." 

            "I'll just ignore that last statement," Carter said, pouring Abby a cup of coffee and setting it in front of her. "You take your temp when you got up?"

            "Yeah, 99.1. Fever's finally going down," Abby said, taking a small sip of the coffee. Then, "Ugh, what is this?"

            "It's a magical blend we like to call decaf."

            "You drink decaf?" Abby asked incredulously.

            "Only at gunpoint. But you're not supposed to have caffeine, remember? Doctor's orders."

            "Oh, screw the doctor," Abby said, slamming down the cup. "I want some real coffee. I know you've got some."

            Carter held up his hands innocently. "Nope, sorry. Drink up, and when you're done, you get some of Carter's homemade pancakes!"

            "Ooh, lucky me," Abby mumbled. She discovered that the decaf didn't taste quite as bad if she held her breath. Still, it couldn't compare to regular coffee.

            Abby glared into the cup. This is no substitute for the real stuff, she thought.

            Carter came to stand behind her. "Trying to boil it with your heat vision?" he asked merrily.

            "Oh, put a lid on it. I don't know what you're so happy about," Abby grumbled, stomping over to the sink and dumping out her coffee. "This stuff is really awful."

            "I think somebody's in a bad mood," Carter observed. "You want some pancakes?"

            "I'm not hungry."

            "Is the pancakes ready?" Jill asked, bursting into the room with Riley right behind her.

            "Most of them are. You hungry?"

            Jill nodded her head. "Can we take it them in the TV room? We were watching Bugs Bunny."

            Carter nodded. "That's fine," he said.

            "Do you feel better now, Mommy?" Riley asked, coming to stand by his mother.

            "Yes, I feel a lot better," Abby said.

            "Does that mean we have to leave now?" Jill asked sadly. Carter and Abby exchanged a glance.

            "We'll probably be leaving soon, honey," Abby told her.

            "But I don't want to leave! I want us to stay here with Daddy! I like living here!"

            "Yeah, can't we stay, Mommy? Please?"

            Abby looked down. "Let's talk about it later, okay?" she said. She really didn't want to deal with this right now.

            Jill and Riley both looked disappointed. Carter served them their plates, and he and Abby were alone again.

            "What?" Abby snapped after a moment of silence.

            Carter looked at her and shrugged. "I didn't say anything."

            "Yeah, but I can tell you want to."

            Carter sighed and laid down the spatula. "As a matter of fact, I do. I think it would be really good for the kids if you stayed here. They could see both of us, and you wouldn't have to rush out to find some overpriced apartment. It doesn't have to be permanent, but they could use some stability right now. Why don't you just stay here for a few months, let them get used to me and everything?"

            Abby shook her head wearily. "That's not gonna work, Carter. Do you think it'll be any easier for them to leave after they've been here for a while? That will just make it harder. If I stay here too long, they'll get used to it and their whole lives will be turned upside down again."

            Carter sat down in front of her. "Then you've already been here too long, because they're used to it here. They like it here, and it's a nice place for kids. There's plenty of space, a big yard. This is a family house, and you have a family. Why don't you stay?" he asked, looking pleadingly into her eyes.

            Abby sighed. Was she going to have to spell it out for him? "Because we're not a family, Carter. Not the four of us. And that's what Jill and Riley are going to think if we stay here. Every kid wants their parents to be together, and us all living in the same house will just make them hope for something that's not going to happen."

            Carter looked down. He didn't want things to be this way, but obviously Abby already had her mind made up. "So what do you propose? That you move into some little apartment, with no yard and neighbors downstairs who call the landlord if the kids run around? That they live at your house for a week and then a week at mine? Because I'm not giving them up, Abby. I don't know if you thought I would, but they're my kids and I love them, and I'm not giving them up without a fight. I'm offering a sensible solution that will work for all of us. Can you think of anything better?"

            Abby didn't respond. 

            "Just think about it, Abby. I know this isn't an ideal living situation, but what are our options? I think Jill and Riley hoping that we'll get together is better that having them torn between the two of us, shuffling from house to house. You've kept them away from me for four years. Is it too much for me to ask just to spend a little TIME with them?! They're my kids too. We have to think about what's good for them, and moving from my place to yours every week isn't."

            "You think I don't think about what's good for them? I have spent the past four years thinking about what was good for them every single day. I've worked my butt of so they could have a decent place to live, and some clothes on their backs. You just met them a couple weeks ago. How does that suddenly make you an expert on what they need? You may be their biological father, but they are MY kids, and if I want to move them to the South Pole I will! You don't know them, you don't know anything about them, so don't fool yourself into thinking you do!" With that, Abby stormed out of the room.

_______________________________________________________________________

            When Carter woke up, he knew something wasn't right. "Something's not right," he mumbled, staggering out of the bed. The house was too quiet. What was going on?

            He walked to the twins' room. It was dark, quiet, the way it should be at three in the morning. He saw their little chests rising and falling in a slow rhythm. They're okay, he realized, breathing a sigh of relief.

            He walked across the hall into Abby's room. Her little chest was not rising and falling. "Abby?" he whispered, a sinking feeling in his heart. Something was wrong here. "Abby?" he whispered again, approaching the bed. Abby was going to be really mad when he woke her up. But he had to; he had to make sure that everything was alright.

            "Abby?" He knelt down by her bed. She was quiet, too quiet. He pressed a hand to her face. It was cold, like touching the face of a corpse. "Are you okay?" He shook her by the shoulders, gently at first, then roughly, frantically. Why wasn't she waking up?

            With shaking fingers, he grasped her wrist. "I can't find the p-pulse," he stammered, gripping her wrist at a different angle. That was not necessary. There was no pulse. It took Carter several seconds to realize this.

            "Oh, no," he moaned, staring down at her. How had this happened? What should he do?

            CPR, of course! Cursing himself for his momentary stupidity, he leaned over her and began performing CPR. A breath into her lungs, then furiously pumping her chest. Why wasn't it working?

            It was taking too long; way too long. He pushed again her still heart more furiously, and heard a cracking sound. He had broken one of her ribs. He though he was going to be sick.

            "Don't do this to me, Abby," he whispered, pausing him compressions once more to breathe into her lungs. How long had it been? Ten minutes. Too long.

            "What's the matter?" he heard behind him. He turned to face Jill and Riley, who were standing in the doorway. What should he do? What could he tell them?


	16. The Family Bed

Chapter 16

            Carter's heart was still pounding when he fell on the floor.

            ABBY, was the first thought that came into his mind. I have to save her. What am I gonna tell the twins?

            Then Carter was confused. But why am I back in my room? Was it a dream? That didn't seem too possible. It had been so real. He still remembered the sickening crack of Abby's rib as it succumbed to the pressure of his compressions. Could that have been a dream?

            He had to find out. Quickly, he climbed out of his bed and headed to the door, praying that Abby was alright.

            First, he stopped at Jill and Riley's room. He was spooked, and wanted to make sure that they were okay, too.

            The picture he saw was eerily similar to the one he had just seen a few minutes ago. He saw two chests rising and falling in the slow motions of sleep. His heart began to thud with fear. Please don't let it be true, he thought, racing across the hall to Abby's room. If it was true, he was probably too late...

            No, he couldn't think about that, couldn't face that horrible possibility. He had to concentrate on getting to Abby's room as soon as possible, take things one step at a time. Had the hallway been this wide the last time he crossed it?

            The door to Abby's room opened with a squeak. "Abby?" he whispered, his heart pounding with fear. Things were too much like his dream.

            He didn't see Abby's chest rising or falling. "Oh, no!" he moaned, running towards the bed and dropping to his knees. Abby was lying on her stomach, and she was lying on top of both of her hands, which make it hard for him to grab one of her wrists. But he did, and he held it between his fingers, holding his breath as he waited for the signs of life.

            He couldn't feel a pulse.

            "Oh, no," he moaned again. This couldn't be happening! He placed his hand on her neck, hoping, praying for a pulse, and felt-

            "Carter? What's wrong? What are you doing here?"

            At the sound of her voice, Carter almost melted with relief. She was okay! It was all going to be okay! Before he could stop himself, he had gathered her up in his arms, and was holding her as close to his as he could. "I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered, squeezing her tightly in his embrace. He could feel her heart beat against his chest, and it filled him with joy.

            Meanwhile, Abby was quite confused. She had been sleeping peacefully when she felt Carter's hand around her neck. She asked him what was going on, and he grabbed her in a bear hug, like they hadn't seen each other in years. She wondered what in the world was going on.

            But right now, she had more pressing problems. Literally. "Carter, I can't breathe," she gasped with the few wisps of air left in her lungs.

            Reluctantly, Carter loosened his grip. He held her at arms length and gazed into her eyes. "I thought I had lost you forever," he said sincerely, and that was enough of an explanation for her. She let him hold her in his arms until they both fell asleep.

________________________________________________________________

            "Um, Carter? I think we have a problem."

            "What?" Carter said groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Hey, this wasn't his room! What was going on?

            "Well, one of us is multiplying," Abby observed calmly.

            "What?" Carter said for the second time in ten seconds.

            "Weren't there only two of us last night?"

            "Oh, no," Carter groaned, looking at the two sleeping figures curled in between them.

            "My thoughts exactly," Abby said.

            "How did they get in here?"

            "Well, I would assume they used the hallway, but I guess they could have crawled up the trellis."

            "You know what I mean," Carter said, rolling over to face her. "Do they come in here all the time?"

            "Only when they have nightmares."

            Carter looked at Abby. "Do you think that if we moved them back to their room, they might forget?"

            Abby shrugged. "I guess it's worth a try." They each picked up the twin closest to them and (gently) carried them across the hall. They got the twins into their beds without incident, then returned to Abby's room.

            "Well, I guess now would be a good time to ask why there were even two of us in here last night," Abby observed.

            Carter grinned, embarrassed. "I had this horrible dream that you died, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I couldn't feel a pulse in your wrist, and I thought..." he let the sentence trail off unfinished.

            "Hmm, sounds like someone's medical skills are a bit lacking," Abby commented, and Carter smiled. It was so great to be talking to her again.

            What if he really had lost her? The dream had made him realize how much she meant to him. Not just as the mother of his children, but...something more.

            No. Carter shook that thought out of his head. It was too late for that. He had let Abby down in the worst way possible, and there would probably never be anything like that between them again. But what if...

            "Well, near death experiences always give me a big appetite. What's for breakfast?" Abby asked, hopping off the bed.

            Carter smiled. "Whatever you want," he replied.

_______________________________________________________________

            Susan slowly walked up the driveway to the Carter mansion, sleepiness clouding her vision. She really shouldn't have stayed up that late last night when she had promised to take the twins out the next morning. But she could take a nap when she got home. 

            Susan raised her fist to knock on the door, but paused when she heard a sound coming from the house. Could that be laughing?

            She pressed her ear to the door and heard Carter and Abby's muffled voices. It was a shame they weren't at an apartment; then she'd really be able to hear them. But through the thick walls of the mansion, all she could hear was mumbling. Smiling, Susan knocked on the door. Obviously, she had come in just the nick of time.

            "Oh, hi Susan," Abby said cautiously, as if she hadn't been expecting her.

            "What are you guys up to in here?" Susan asked suspiciously, glancing around the room.

            "Nothing, just talking," Abby said, exchanging a glance with Carter.

            "Oh, I see," Susan said knowingly.

            "Hi Aunt Susan!" Jill said, running into the room.

            "Hi, Jill! You guys ready to go?" she asked.

            "Can we go to the zoo again?" Riley asked.

            "No, let's go the movies! I want popcorn!" Jill exclaimed.

            Susan smiled. "I vote for a movie," she said. Jill beamed.

            "Are you and Mommy coming?" Riley asked Carter.

            Carter shook his head. "No, me and Mommy need to have a little talk." Neither Carter nor Abby missed the smile that Jill and Riley exchanged.

            Susan yawned widely. "I really stayed up too late last night," she commented. "But I had to see how that movie ended..."

            "Yeah, and everyone knows that movies are more important than sleep," Abby commented dryly.

            Susan laughed. "Well, that movie was only on last night! I can sleep anytime!" She glanced at her watch. "I might even be able to get in a nap before my next shift..."

            Jill looked at Carter, then asked him, "Daddy, how come you were sleeping in Mommy's bed last night?"

            Carter choked on the mouthful of coffee that he had been about to swallow. Abby, red-faced, suddenly became very interested in the carpet. Susan, however, was staring at Carter and Abby, an amused grin on her face.

            "Um...well...Mommy had a bad dream, and she was scared," Carter stammered.

            Jill was smiling almost as widely as Susan. "And you made her feel better, didn't you?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

            Carter nodded quickly. "Yes, I did," he said, relieved.

            "Well, you guys better get going," Abby said, rushing them out the door. Susan was still grinning like a Cheshire cat.

            "Wait for me outside, guys," Susan said. Once Jill and Riley were outside, she turned back to Carter and Abby. "I think you guys have a little explaining to do?" she said, still smiling.

            "Oh, wipe that grin off your face," Carter said. "It's not what it sounds like."

            "Oh, yeah? Cause it sounds like you two were-"

            "Look, it was nothing, Susan. We just sort of fell asleep-"

            "In each other's arms?" Susan asked, grinning widely.

            "If you keep smiling that big, you're not gonna be able to fit your face out of the door," Abby said.

            "I don't mind. I'll just stay here and get the juicy details," she said happily.

            "Just go, Susan! The kids are waiting for you."

            "But I get the whole story when I get back?" Susan wheedled.

            "There is no whole story!" Abby said.

            "Right. Well, when you guys stop living in denial, I'll be waiting," Susan said, breezing out the door.

            "That went well," Abby said wryly.

            Carter ran his fingers through his hair. "Trust kids to say things at the worst time," he said.

            Abby smiled. "Well, they do say the darndest things," she pointed out. "So, what did you wanna talk to me about?"

            Carter hated to spoil the good mood, but this was important. "Follow me," he said, leading her down the hall.

A/N: I feel like I owe everyone an explanation. I thought people would guess it was a dream! In fact, when I first wrote this story, Chapter 15 wasn't even a cliffhanger. But I added the last section of 15 to 16 so they would be closer to the same length. I apologize for all the anguished, sleepless nights you all spent worrying about Abby's welfare ;). And **Little Miss,** good guess, you get a sugar-free wafer! ~Taz


	17. Tag

Chapter 17

            Abby was silent when he finished his presentation. "Well?" he said, eager to gauge her reaction. Her face was expressionless.

            "I don't know, Carter. What do you expect me to say?"

            "Yes, it's a great idea, you're a genius, I want to put your plan into action?" Abby smiled slightly, and he knew that was a good sign. Last time he brought up the subject, she had stormed out of the room.

            "Well, then I think you're gonna be disappointed," she said, and his spirits rose even higher. She was making jokes; maybe she would agree!

            "I just want you to consider it, Abby. Look at it this way: you could have your own wing of the house, you wouldn't even have to see me if you don't want to. You could have time to recuperate, and once you're at 100%, you could start looking for a job again. You'd have a nice, safe place to live, and the kids would have a family. Not a conventional family," he rushed, seeing the look on her face, "But they would have both of their parents. Two people to take care of them. You've been working yourself too hard, Abby. It's time to give me a chance."

            The morning's events seemed to have put Abby in a good mood; she still hadn't stormed out of the room. "But it's so permanent. I don't want the kids to get used to living here, just so I can uproot them again. If we settle in here, I'm committing the next 14 years of my life to...living with YOU."

            Carter tried not to be offended by that statement. "I know. I know it's not ideal; it's not even close. But I've been turning this problem over in my head, and I really can't think of anything better. Can you?"

            Abby shook her head slowly. "No, I can't. But I want to give it some more time. I don't want to commit to this until I'm absolutely sure that this is the best thing for all of us."

            Carter was already sure of this, but at least Abby seemed to be seriously considering it now. That was more than she had done before. Hopefully, he could wear her down with time. "Okay," he said, "Think about it. Tell me when you make up your mind, okay?"

            Abby nodded. "Okay."

_____________________________________________________________________

            "Tag! You're it!"

            Jill stamped her foot impatiently. "Tag me! I want to be it!"

            Riley shook his head. "Daddy's it now. He has to tag you."

            Jill looked towards Carter expectantly and held out her hand. "Tag me?" she asked.

            Carter laughed. "I think you're supposed to run away from the person who's it," he reminded her.

            "I know, but I wanna tag Riley!" She shook her hand impatiently. 

            Carter touched her hand. "Yes!" she yelled, charging towards Riley. He took off down the hall, and Carter could hear their laughter echoing as Jill caught him.

            Carter walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa next to Abby. "It's so nice to actually have kids in this house. It's been so quiet lately." Abby nodded but didn't respond.

            Riley ran into the room and slapped Carter on the arm. "Tag! You're it, Daddy!" Before Riley had taken two steps away from the sofa, Carter had picked him up and was holding him upside down. 

            "Who's it now?" Carter asked. Riley, whose face was red from laughing, could not respond.

            As Abby watched the exchange, she was surprised by how much it moved her. They need their dad, she realized. Of course, she had known it before, but seeing him here, playing with them, made her realize just how important it was for him to be a part of her lives.

            She thought of her own father. Had he ever played games like this with her, just for the heck of it? She couldn't remember, probably because she didn't want to. Had he even loved her? She would never know. He had left, without so much as a backward glance to the family he left behind. He couldn't have cared less about his son and daughter.

            But Jill and Riley had a father. And he loved them. And he was willing to do whatever it took to be a part of their lives. 

            Abby _had kept them away from him for a good part of their lives. She had left justified at the time, but now she was wondering if it had been the right thing to do. They could have had _this:_ Carter, a nice place to live, two parents to take care of them. They deserved that, didn't they?_

            Abby watched Carter as he pretended he was going to drop Riley on his head. They needed this. They needed a father, someone who would help her take care of them. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't raise them alone. Four years of nonstop care had left her drained, and the time she had spent at Carter's house was a welcome break. It had been so nice for the past few weeks, knowing that she didn't have to look after Jill and Riley every single moment. Knowing that, if she slept until 9:30, when she woke up the housekeeper would have already gotten the kids up and made breakfast. Maybe she was being selfish, but for the first time in four years, she was spending a little time on herself.

            Jill had entered the room and, seeing the action, said, "Pick me up too, Daddy!" Abby smiled, watching the three of them as they played. Jill and Riley had a father who cared about them, who wanted to be a part of their lives. Until this moment, Abby hadn't realized just how important that was.

            It was at that moment that Abby made up her mind.        


	18. Living In The Princess House

Chapter 18

            "It's time for bed," Abby said, looking at the clock. Jill and Riley groaned.

            "Can Daddy tuck us in?" Riley asked.

            Abby and Carter exchanged a look. "Sure," Abby said. Carter herded the kids up the stairs.

            Abby was deep in thought when Carter returned. "Whatcha thinking about?" Carter asked, sitting down next to her.

            Abby looked up at Carter. "I thought about what you said," Abby told him. 

            "And?" Carter asked, holding his breath. Her face was expressionless.

            Abby smiled faintly. "When I saw you playing with the kids today it made me realize how important it is for the kids to have both of us." She looked down. "My dad...I barely even remember him. He took off when I was so little. The kids...they need us. Both of us."

            Carter heart beat more rapidly. Was she saying what he thought he was saying?

            "I don't want to live here. At all. But this..." Abby took a deep breath. This was it. "This is the best situation for the kids. Living here with both of us. I may not like it, but I want what's best for them."

            Carter couldn't believe his ears. "You mean you're staying?" he asked excitedly.

            "Yeah, we're staying," she said, feeling guilty about the happy look on his face.

            "This is great!" Carter exclaimed. "Thank you Abby. Thank you. You're making the right decision; things are going to be great this way." He hopped off the sofa excitedly. "I'm so glad you decided to stay; you don't know how much this means to me." 

            Carter realized he was babbling, and sat back down. "We can start making preparations tomorrow. I can get the east wing cleaned up if you want, and you guys can move in there."

            Abby nodded. "Okay," she said. "When are we going to tell the kids?"

            Carter's face broke into a grin. "As soon as possible," he said.

__________________________________________________________________

            "Hey."

            "Hi. Wanna come in?"

            "Sure." Abby stepped back from the door, and Susan walked in. "Where's the kids?"

            "Carter took them to the park."

            Susan smiled. "It must be nice, huh? Getting a break every now and then. I can't imagine taking care of twins by myself."

            "You should've been there when they were two."

            "So have you found an apartment?" Susan asked casually.

            "Well, not exactly." Susan waited patiently for Abby to finish her statement. "I've decided to stay here."

            Susan's face lit up. "Really?" she asked. Abby nodded. "Oh, that's great!" Susan exclaimed, running over to hug Abby.

            Abby smiled and returned the hug. She had missed Susan's exuberance. 

            "What made you decide to stay?"

            Abby shrugged. "I just realized that the kids need their dad, and that it will be easier for all of us if we're all in the same house."

            Susan nodded. "I knew he'd win you over," she said triumphantly. "The kids must be pretty excited."

            "Actually, we haven't told them."

            Susan's jaw dropped. "Why not?"

            Abby shrugged. "Hasn't come up," she said, smiling slightly.

            Just then, the door opened. "We're back!" Carter yelled, closing the door.

            "Not the big ones, the monkey bars!" Jill said.

            "I like the slide." Riley responded.

            "Hi guys," Abby said, wondering what they were talking about. "Did you have fun at the park?"

            Jill and Riley nodded enthusiastically. "Hi, Aunt Susan!" Jill said. "Are you gonna take us somewhere?"

            Carter smiled. "I think you're spoiling them, Susan," he said, ruffling Riley's hair.

            Jill yawned widely. "Hmm, I think somebody needs their nap," Abby said.

            "I'm not sleepy," Jill protested, yawning again.

            "C'mon. I'll read you a story," Abby said. The twins allowed themselves to be led upstairs.

            "So, Abby told me that she decided to stay," Susan said.

            "Yeah," Carter said, smiling.

            "You must be pretty excited about it," Susan observed.

            Carter grinned. "Very. I'm so relieved; I really thought she was going to leave."

            "You must've been pretty persuasive," Susan said, smiling.

            "What's that supposed to mean?" Carter asked, pretending to frown.

            "Nothing," Susan said innocently. "So why haven't you told the kids yet?"

            Carter shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we're just waiting for the right time. I think they'll be really happy; they wanted to stay."

            "It'll be good for them, living here. Is Abby planning on coming back to County?"

            "I don't know."

            "Did you tell her that we're hiring for an ER nurse?" 

            Carter shook his head. "No, not yet."

            Susan stared at him. "Why not?" she asked, confused.

            "I guess I forgot," he said lamely.

            "Carter..."

            "What?" Carter asked.

            "You should tell her about the job."

            "I'm just so glad she finally agreed to stay here, I don't want to push her. I'll mention it later."

            Susan raised her eyebrows. "That position's not gonna be empty forever, you know. If she wants it, she needs to go ahead and apply."

            Carter sighed. "I know." Susan still stared at him. "Okay, I'll tell her."

            "Good," Susan said, smiling with satisfaction. "You can call and tell me when she accepts."


	19. Party Time!

Chapter 19 

            "I got a call from a certain Lila Bailey today," Abby said, eyeing Carter suspiciously. Carter looked at Abby for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know. Is that name supposed to mean something to me?"

            Abby scoffed. "Oh, come on, you know you arranged it. She called me about a certain job opening in the Pediatrics department." Still, Carter's face showed no sign of recognition. "At County?" Carter shrugged. "You really didn't arrange it?" 

            Carter shook his head. "No, I didn't. I didn't even know we were hiring for Peds nurses." He paused. "You gonna apply?"

            Abby nodded. "Yeah. I've never worked in Peds, but I like kids."

            "I thought you were waiting for an OB job."

            "Carter, I'm unemployed. Right about now I'll just be glad to still be a nurse. If I get this job, maybe after I've been there awhile I'll start looking again."

            Carter twirled his pencil absently. He wished he had mentioned the ER job to her sooner. It sounded like she had all but accepted this job in Pediatrics. "You know, we're hiring for a nurse. The ER, I mean." 

            Abby shook her head. "I don't want to work in the ER again; it's too hectic when you have kids. Especially both of us in the same one." 

            "Well, it's a thought," Carter said, disappointed. He had hoped that he and Abby would soon be working together again.

            "Are you working today?" 

            "Twelve to twelve, why?"

            "She asked me to come in for an interview as soon as possible. Can you watch the kids?" 

            Carter sighed loudly. "You don't have to ask, you know. They're my kids."

            Abby was slightly thrown off by his response. "Oh, yeah. Of course. I'll be back by ten, okay? I'm gonna go say goodbye to them." 

            Carter nodded. "Okay," he said. Well, Abby working in a different department at County would be better than her not working at County at all. Maybe they could ride to work together. _________________________________________________________________________________ 

            "Yet another joyous holiday at County," Chen said as she leaned on the admit desk.         "Holiday?" Susan asked, glancing at the calendar. Just as she thought, it was November 18. Was she missing something?

            "Oh, you know, Thanksgiving. It's coming soon," Chen explained. 

            "Oh. Of course," Susan said, confused. 

            "Hello, ladies," Carter said, breezing through the doors.

            "Hi, Carter. Did you tell Abby about the job?" Susan asked. 

            Carter sighed. "Yeah, but a woman in Ped's called her about an opening there. She sounds like she's gonna take it." 

            "Oh, yeah, I told Lila that Abby was looking for a job, and she said she'd call her." 

            "Oh, so you were the one." 

            "Guilty as charged," Susan said, holding up her hands. 

            "So, you coming to my Thanksgiving party?" Chen asked.

            Carter looked at the calendar. "Thanksgiving already? Time flies." 

            Chen looked at him. "Yeah. Anyway, back to the party…" 

            "When is it?" 

            "Day before Thanksgiving. I'm inviting everyone in the ER, but so far I haven't had many takers." 

            Carter shrugged. "I'll have to see."

            "You could bring Abby," Chen suggested, which brought a grin to Susan's face.

            "Yeah, you could," Susan encouraged. 

            Carter shrugged. "Maybe," he said noncommittally, but he was already planning how to ask her. 

_____________________________________________________________________

            "Hey Abby, Deb's having a Thanksgiving party." 

            "That's nice," Abby said absently. Then, seeing the look on his face, "You're not expecting me to go, are you?"

            "Well, no, I was more like asking you to go," Carter corrected. 

            Abby smiled at that. "I don't know. It's not like we can just pick up where we left off," she reminded him.

            "I know. I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend or anything _crazy_ like that; I'm just asking if you want to go to a party." Abby appeared to be thinking about it. "C'mon; it'll be fun. All the gang from County will be there; you can catch up with everybody."

            Abby nodded. "I guess. What time is it?"

            "Eight. The kids will already be in bed."

            "Okay," she conceded. "Who knows, it might be fun."

_____________________________________________________________________

            "Look who's here! It's Carter and ABBY!" Chen said, shrieking out Abby's name. Immediately, every eye in the room went to Abby, who was standing in the doorway, coat in hand.

            "Nice to see you too, Jing-Mei," she said.

            "Abby! I'm so glad you came!" said Susan, walking over to the door. "Carter said you agreed to come, but I wouldn't believe it until I saw you with my own eyes. How are you?"

            "Good." Abby gestured towards the people crowding the room. "I know I haven't been gone that long; who are all these strangers?"

            Susan laughed. "Let's just say we had a lot of turnover in the past four years. That's Macy; she's been in the ER a year, and that's..."

            Carter stuck his hands in his pockets and surveyed his surroundings. It was such a familiar scene: all the ER employees, gathered together for a party. It had been so long since he had attended one, and even longer since he had been to one with Abby.

            He looked at Abby, who was being dragged around the room by Susan. He couldn't believe that the two of them were actually here at a party. Together. It seemed too good to be true. He couldn't believe that, right before the party, he had kissed his two children goodnight. 

His life had changed so much in the past month. But could it change a little more?

            He glanced at Abby once again, and his heart ached with longing. He missed her so much. He missed that close, comfortable familiarity they had had with each other. He missed how they could laugh and joke about almost anything. He had never had that kind of relationship with another woman. Would he ever again?

            Carter started when he realized that someone was talking to him. "What?" he said distractedly.

            Chen gazed at him curiously. "I said, I'm about to put some music on," she said.

            "Will there be dancing?" Susan asked, a mischievous grin coming to her face.

            "Of course!" Chen said eagerly, popping a CD into the player. Dance music began to pulse through the room, and couples appeared from nowhere, spinning each other across the floor.

            Carter smiled and looked at Abby. "Nothing like good music," he said nervously.

            "Nope," Abby said, twirling her hair.

            "You want to dance?"

________________________________________________________________________

            "That was fun."

            Abby nodded in agreement. "I haven't gone dancing in forever."

            "See? And to think that you almost didn't come."

            "What are you talking about? You asked me, and I said yes."

            "I remember a bit of hemming and hawing before you agreed."

            "Well, you remember wrong." Abby sat up higher in her seat. "What are they doing now?"

            Carter craned his neck to look through the window. "Looks like the Limbo."

            "Again?"

            "I guess nobody wanted Deb to retire undefeated."

            Abby laughed. "Think anybody's gonna make it home before sunrise?"

            Carter shrugged. "Somebody's gotta work the ER tomorrow."

            "Hope it's not anybody here. They're pretty riled up."

            "Guess it's a good thing we got out when we did."

            Abby peered through the window again. "Oh, God no."

            "What?" Carter asked, then saw for himself. "Line dancing? They can't be that hard up for entertainment."

            Abby shrugged. "Beats the Limbo, I guess." Noticing Carter's smile, she said, "What?"

            "Just remembering when we were line dancing on Navy Pier with Eric and his girlfriend. That was fun, wasn't it?"

            Abby smiled. "Yeah. I guess it is more fun than it looks." The smile slid off her face.

            "What's wrong?" Carter asked, noticing her change in expression.

            "I hope he's okay."

            "Who?" Carter said, confused.

            "Eric. I still haven't heard from him. He just took off, remember?"

            "Oh, yeah. Well, he wouldn't know where to contact you, so-"

            Abby shot up from her seat. "My neighbor! He had her number, so he might call her if he wanted to get in touch with me! I'll call her!" She headed for the door. 

            "Whoa, hold on for a second," Carter said, grabbing her wrist. "It's two AM in Atlanta right now. Don't you think maybe you should wait until tomorrow?"

            Abby sighed. "I guess," she said despondently, plopping back down next to him on the porch swing. "But I want to know now! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner," she said, biting her lip. 

            "You can call first thing in the morning tomorrow," he reassured her.

            "I know," she said. "But I hope he's okay."


	20. Uncle Eric

Chapter 20

            "Hello? Carol, hi, it's Abby. Yeah...he did? Great! Did he...oh...did he sound okay...okay...thanks Carol. I'll give you the number here. If he calls back, give him this number, okay?"

            Carter wandered into the kitchen in time to hear Abby's half of the conversation. When she hung up, he said, "He called her?"

            Abby nodded. "In fact, he called the day I got here. She said he had called back five times to see if she had heard from me." Abby sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I can't believe I didn't think of calling her before."

            "Well, at least now he'll know you're okay. Did she say where he was?"

            Abby shook her head. "No, but he told her he was going to Western Union me some money because he knew I had lost my job." She realized that, if she had somehow gotten in contact with Eric before, she never would have gone to County. Why didn't he just leave her some money in the envelope he left her? She couldn't understand that.

            "Is he okay?"

            "She said he sounded worried." Abby laughed. "That used to be my job."

            "Is he on his meds?"

            Abby nodded. "After I had the twins, he decided to start taking the disease more seriously, and take the meds and everything, so that he could be a part of the twins' lives."

            Carter nodded and looked down, and Abby realized how tacky her remark was. Before she could move to correct her blunder, Carter said, "Did he live near you?"

            Abby shook her head. "But we stayed in touch more after I first had the twins. Then, after Maggie died, we just sort of...grew apart."

            "How long has it been?"

            "Almost four years. She never even got to see the twins," Abby said sadly.

            "Mommy, look what I made!" Jill said, bursting into the room and breaking the uncomfortable silence. Abby turned towards her, relieved to have a new topic for discussion. 

            Oh, that's very nice," she said, glancing at the picture of what appeared to be a monkey. She was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing.

            "Carter Residence," Carter said into the receiver. 

            There was a lengthy pause, then, "Um, could I speak to Abby? Abby Wyczenski?" he clarified, as if there might be several Abbys at Carter's house.

            "Sure. She's right here." He handed the phone to her. "It's Eric."

            Abby snatched the phone out of his hand before he could relinquish it. "Eric? Are you okay?"

            "I should be the one asking that. I'm so sorry I had to leave like that, but...something came up," he said vaguely. "But you guys are okay, right? You have someplace to stay?"

            "Yeah, I'm staying with Carter."

            "Carter? The guy who answered the phone?"

            "Yeah, you met him once, remember?"

            "No, not really. Will you be okay with him?" He sounded worried.

            Abby smiled at the concern in her brother's voice. "I'll be fine, Eric," she reassured him. "Are okay? What happened?"

            "Yeah, I'll be fine. I just gotta lay low for a little while," Eric said, evading her question. "But I can call you here?"

            "Yeah, I'll be here for a while," Abby said.

            "Okay. Good." Abby heard voices in the background. "Listen, Abby, I gotta go. You take care of yourself, okay?"

            "Okay. And you do the same."

            "I will. Talk to you later."

            "Okay. Bye."

            "Bye." Abby hung up the phone.

            "Is he okay?"

            Abby shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. He didn't tell me anything, Except that he has to 'lay low' for a couple of months. I...don't know what's happening."

            "Did he sound okay?"

            She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. But I wish he would tell me what's going on."

            No one was as surprised as Abby when Eric showed up on her doorstep.

_____________________________________________________________________

            Abby stood in the doorway, her face frozen in shock. Eric had started to enter the house, but stopped when he noticed that she was standing still as a statue, blocking his entrance.

            "Abby? You okay?"

            Her trance broken, Abby looked up at him, a relieved smile on her face. "What happened? I was so worried about you!"

            Eric looked embarrassed. "It's a kind of long story. Can I come in?"

            "Of course," Abby said, moving aside to let him in.

            "This is a nice place. Who is this guy, anyway?"

            Abby stared at him. Couldn't he remember anything? "John Carter? Jill and Riley's father?"

            "Oh, oh, that Carter. I remember now."

            "Eric, are you okay?" she asked, worried. Something wasn't right with him.

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Are the twins here?"

            Abby led him to the twins' room, an uneasy look on her face. 

_____________________________________________________________________

            When Carter got home, he heard a man's voice echoing in his house. Who's here? he wondered, pulse quickening. Abby wouldn't have invited a boyfriend over, would she? His heart sunk at the thought, then he realized how implausible it was. But still, what if?

            He realized that the noise was coming from the twins' bedroom, so he walked towards it, determined to accept whatever he found there. He was surprised, however, to see the man sitting on Jill's bed. It had been a long time since he had last seen him, but Carter had a good memory for faces. "Eric? What are you doing here?"

            Eric looked up guiltily, as if he had been caught performing an act much more heinous than playing with his nephew. "Carter, John Carter, hi. I'm Abby's brother, remember? Well, I guess you do remember, you called me by name." Eric's laugh sounded forced, and Carter noticed that he still hadn't answered the question. 

            "What are you doing here?" Carter asked again.

            "I was in the area, thought I'd drop by to see my niece and nephew. And my sister, of course," he said, glancing over at Abby. Carter couldn't read the look on her face.

            "Uncle Eric, we have this park, and it has swings and slides and monkey bars and everything!" Riley gushed. Already, he had warmed up to his newfound uncle.

            "Sounds like fun," Eric said, a smile coming to his face.

            "Since Uncle Eric's here, can we have ice cream?" Jill asked. Jill thought every event was a cause for dessert.

            Abby smiled faintly. "Why don't you guys show Uncle Eric where the kitchen is, and you can all have some ice cream," she suggested. Jill eagerly grabbed Eric's hand and started dragging him towards the kitchen.

            "What's wrong with him?" Carter asked as soon as they had stepped out of the door.

            Abby shook her head. "I don't know. He's been acting strangely ever since he got here."

            "Is he still on his meds?"

            "I think so. He seemed pretty resigned to his fate when he started taking them."

            "But he seems kind of manic."

            Abby nodded reluctantly. "But the meds aren't foolproof. Even if he's taking them all the time, he could still have episodes, they'll just be less severe," Abby explained, as if Carter wasn't a doctor. "That's probably all this is."

            "Yeah, probably," Carter said, praying that she was right. 

            There was a crash down in the kitchen, then a giggle. Abby sighed. "I hope they're not breaking anything."

            Carter smiled. "Should we go down and see?" Abby nodded, and they descended the stairs together.

            "Hello-o-o?" Abby called into the seemingly empty kitchen. There was no one in sight.

            "Where are they? They couldn't have possibly gotten lost in this short distance," Carter said. Already, he was looking around the kitchen, running into the connecting rooms, trying to find them.

            Abby heart quickened as she joined Carter in the search. She wanted to believe that Eric was alright, that he had just somehow gotten lost in the short walk between bedroom and kitchen. But where had he taken the kids?


	21. Search Party Time

Chapter 21

            "Jill? Riley?" 

            It had been more than an hour now. Carter and Abby had searched the entire house, the yard, everywhere, but they still hadn't found Eric or the twins.

            Carter shook his head. "They're not here," he said wearily.

            "Where are they?" Abby said. Where had Eric taken them, and why?

            "I think we should call the cops."

            Abby stared at him. "You _can't be serious," she said._

            "I am. Eric's gone, he took the twins, and we don't know where they went."

            "Eric's my brother! What are you trying to say, that he- kidnapped my kids?" 

            Carter didn't respond. 

            "He wouldn't do that, Carter, I know he wouldn't!"

            "But you said yourself that he was acting strangely."

            Abby looked down. "I know. I should have asked him what was wrong. But that doesn't mean he kidnapped them!"

            "No, but it does make him look suspicious." Abby didn't respond. "Maybe he's having a manic episode, and he doesn't realize what he's doing."

            "He's on his meds; he wouldn't do something crazy like this."

            "Maybe he's involved in drugs, or something else that altered his mind."

            Abby shook her head. "No. Eric wouldn't do this to me, no matter what."

            "Well, then what happened?"

            "I don't know, Carter," Abby said wearily. "Let's just keep looking."

_______________________________________________________

            An hour later, they called the police.

            "And what were they wearing?"

            As Abby listened to Carter describing Jill and Riley's clothing, she felt detached from the situation, like she was floating above them observing the action. This couldn't be happening. Her children couldn't be missing.

            Carter still had not convinced her that Eric had, for some strange reason, purposely taken her children. She was sure that this was all just a big, horrible misunderstanding. But in the end, worry about her children won out over loyalty to her brother. When they found them all, she would apologize to him for reporting him to the cops.

            "And you say you heard laughing before you went downstairs? Are you sure that's what it was?"

            "It was Riley laughing," Abby said quietly, and that settled the matter.

            "And you heard a crash? What did it sound like?"

            "Like a metal bowl hitting the floor," Carter said, looking to Abby for confirmation. Abby nodded in agreement.

            "Okay, and do you have a recent picture of the twins?"

            Abby slid the photos across the table. She had dug them out while Carter was calling the police. They were old, taken on the twins' third birthday, but they were the most recent ones she had. She regretted not documenting their childhood on film more thoroughly, but film had seemed like such a luxury. Now she wished she had more pictures of her children when they were babies. Were these the last ones she would ever take?

            Abby realized the officer was talking. "...missing persons report. We'll call you if anything develops."

            Now Carter was standing with the officers, shaking their hands. Abby could not imagine being so civil right now. She wanted to jump up and yell at them, "Stop wasting time and go find my kids!" But instead, she stayed in her seat.

            The cops left, and Carter and Abby were left alone.

___________________________________________________________

            Abby sat on the side of her bed, her head in her hands. This was so unfair. Where were they?

            She and Carter had spent the entire day looking for them. They had enlisted the help of Carter's coworkers and scoured the city. Still, after eight hours of searching, there was no sign of the twins.

            What had Eric done? She remembered sending them all down to the kitchen, hearing the crash and the giggle, and walking downstairs. It had all taken less than five minutes. Where had they gone?

            Abby shuddered as she wondered where her children were right now. Were they okay? Safe? Were they hurt? Were they even alive? Abby realized that she could torment herself all night with images of her children in peril, but it wouldn't do any good. She had to think of a practical solution.

            Carter sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. Were the twins okay? The question had tormented him throughout the day. He had just met them a few weeks ago; would this be the end?

            He wished he had called the police as soon as they had turned up missing. Now, who knew how far away they were from the house?

            He wondered what was wrong with Eric. For some reason, Abby still seemed to believe in his innocence, but Carter saw that there was no way Eric could have not been involved in this. The question now was, what to do?

            They had no idea what Eric's motive was. All they knew was he had shown up at the house acting strangely, then he had disappeared with the kids. Carter shuddered when he imagined what Eric had done to them. He prayed that they were okay.

            He didn't know what to do next. The cops didn't seem to have any ideas, except to wait for new clues. He decided that he would hire a P.I. first thing in the morning, the best one in town. He looked at his clock. It was almost four, but he didn't think he'd be getting much sleep tonight. 

            As the night wore on, Carter and Abby continued to plan.


	22. Who's On The Phone?

Chapter 22

            When Carter went down to the kitchen at six AM, he wasn't surprised to see that someone was already there. "Hey," he said, sitting at the table.

            Abby jumped in surprise, then realized who it was. "Oh. Hi. Want some coffee?" She held out the half empty pot, and Carter wondered how long she had been up.

            He accepted the pot and poured himself a cup. "You get any sleep?" he asked.

            Abby shook her head. "No. How could I? I just kept thinking about them, wondering if they're okay-" Abby broke off her statement abruptly.

            Carter reached across the table and covered her hand with his. "We're gonna find them," he assured her.

            "I hope so," she said quietly.

            "I'm gonna hire a P.I., as soon as offices are open," he told her. 

            She smiled at him. "Thanks," she said.

            "You don't have to thank me, Abby. They're my kids too," he reminded her.

            "Sorry," she said apologetically.

            Carter checked his watch. "I'm gonna call now and see if the P.I.'s in his office yet." He picked up the phone and started dialing, but soon replaced it. "No answer. He must not be there yet."

            "Well, it is only six o'clock." Abby sighed and put down her coffee cup. "I want to do something. I can't stand just sitting around doing nothing while they're still missing. Let's go and look for them again."

            Carter nodded. Even though he knew it was probably futile, he hated sitting there doing nothing too. "Let's drive around near here for a while. Maybe we'll see something we didn't see yesterday." They both knew it was probably hopeless, but it seemed like they should be doing something.

______________________________________________________

            As expected, the search yielded nothing.

            Carter and Abby returned to the house at exactly eight o'clock. As soon as they got in the door, Carter called the P.I. again. "Hello?...yes...this is John Carter...yes...okay...yes...we'll be there." He hung up the phone. "We have an appointment at his office in fifteen minutes."

            Abby nodded, and rebuttoned the coat that she had been about to take off. "Let's go, then."

            When they returned to the house, the phone was ringing. Abby raced for it, and Carter realized that she was hoping the phone call would bring news of the twins.

            "Hello?...oh, yes." He immediately realized from her tone that it wasn't the call she was expecting. When she hung up the phone, he asked, "Who was it?"

            "Susan. She was calling to see if we had any new news." Abby sighed. "I wish I had something to tell her," she said. 

            "We should probably get the stuff together for the flyers," Carter said after a moment of silence.

            "Flyers; right," Abby said quickly, glad to have something to do. The P.I. had informed them that they should make and start distributing flyers with pictures of Eric and the twins.

            Abby went to her bedroom, where she pulled a lone photo album out of the closet. She sat on the bed and opened the photo album across her lap.

            The P.I. had said to look for 'clear, recent, full-face shots'. Abby would use the same pictures of Jill and Riley that she had given to the cops, but she had to find a picture of Eric.

            Abby quickly flipped through the first few pages, forcing herself not to linger on the pictures of her children. However, she couldn't miss a picture taken when the twins were two. They were both sitting in her lap, wide smiles on their faces; Jill was reaching for the camera. The picture became blurry, and Abby realized it was because there were tears in her eyes. I can't afford to fall apart right now, she thought. I have to keep myself together, for the kids' sakes. That thought dried her eyes, and she flipped past the picture, trying to forget the happy image of the past that was already burned on her brain.

            As she flipped through the album, she realized how few photos she had of Eric. The ones she did have were all taken more than ten years ago. Finally, at the back of the album, she discovered a picture than Eric had given her four years ago. It was slightly blurry, but it was the best she had.

            As she slid the picture out of its sleeve, the phone rang. She dove across the bed and answered it before it could ring again. "Hello?" she said anxiously, hoping, praying for news of the twins.

            Carter, having heard the ringing, now stood in Abby's doorway, listening to her end of the conversation.

            "Yes...I see...I will...yes, thank you." He couldn't read the expression on her face, but it didn't look happy.

            When Abby hung up the phone, there was a sad smile on her face. "What's wrong?" Carter asked.

            "I got the job in Ped's," she said quietly. "Somehow, it just doesn't seem as important now. All that's important is Jill and Riley-" she buried her face in her hands, unable to go on.

            "Hey, hey, hey," Carter said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her. "Don't give up on them yet, Abby."

            "I just want to know that they're okay," she said into Carter's shirt. Carter rubbed her back, unsure of how to answer her.

            They stood there for a moment, wrapped in each other's arms. Then Abby broke away from him abruptly. Busying herself with the photo album, she said, "We should get going to the print shop."

            Carter felt like he should say something else, something to comfort her, but what could be said? Their children were gone, and they didn't know if they would ever see them again. There really wasn't any hope he could offer. So he simply said, "Yes, we should," and followed her down the stairs.

            The phone rang again just as they were about to walk out the door. Dropping the pictures on the table, Abby dashed to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?" she said breathlessly. There was a moment's pause, then, "Oh, God," in a voice so devastating that Carter knew it could only be terrible news.

            Abby's face had paled, and she gripped the phone tightly. "Okay...I understand...we'll be right there." She hung up the phone very slowly.

            "What's wrong?" Carter said anxiously, for the second time that day.

            "It's Eric. They found him." 


	23. The Call

Chapter 23

            "Where is he?"

            "He's at Mercy. They found him beat up in an alley last night."

            "Oh, God," Carter said, realizing the full implication of her words.

            Abby nodded. "They said they weren't with him," she added quietly, and Carter knew what 'they' she was talking about. Now, someone had beaten Eric, and that someone had probably escaped with their children.

            Carter closed his eyes and sighed. For a moment, they were both silent as their worst nightmares ran rampant through their heads. What had become of Jill and Riley?

            Finally, Abby said, "We should go to the hospital."

            Carter nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." 

__________________________________________________________________

            The doctor slowly examined Eric's chart, and Carter found himself infuriated with the man's slowness. Go faster, he wanted to yell. My children's lives are at stake.

            "He has a broken cheekbone and some bruises, but other than that, he's okay," the doctor finally said, raising his eyes from the chart to look at the wall about Abby's head.

            "What about the fact that he's in a coma?" Carter said sharply.

            The doctor frowned. He did not like being interrupted. "Well, yes, that of course, but other than that, he's just fine. If he ever wakes up, he'll be in almost perfect condition."

            He could stand to work on his bedside manner, Abby thought as the doctor excused himself. She walked over to Eric's bed and gazed down at him.

            The entire left side of his face was covered with bruises, and she saw scratches and scrapes going down his neck. It would take a sick person to do this, and that sick person probably had her kids. That thought made her heart pound with fear.

            Abby reached down and gently touched her brother's face. Did Eric have anything to do with this? She wouldn't know until he woke up. If he woke up. Abby commanded herself to stop thinking such negative thoughts. She had to think positively; it was the only way to keep herself from going crazy with worry.

            Abby realized that a man had entered the room while she was standing by Eric. He was talking to Carter, and when she walked over, he introduced himself.

            "Miss Whysenski? I'm Detective Paulsen, and I've been assigned to your children's case." He extended his hand, and Abby shook it mechanically. 

            "Do you have any idea what happened to my kids?" Abby asked hopefully.

            Paulsen looked grave. "I do not, and I'm afraid that things do not look good. We think whoever attacked your brother probably has your children, so we want you to call us if you get a ransom note or any suspicious phone calls."

            Abby bit her lip. Ransom note? This was all like some horrible nightmare. She just wanted her children to be safe at home again. Was that too much to ask?

            "When was Eric found?" Abby asked.

            "Last night, around 8:45. It took us a while to ID him. His wallet was gone."

            Abby's eyes widened in shock. 8:45! That was less than an hour after Eric had left her house! She wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew it couldn't be good.

            "Is there anything we can do?" Carter asked. He had to do something, anything, to try and get his children back.

            "Just keep looking, and call us if anyone contacts you."

______________________________________________________________________________

            Four hours later, they got the call.

            When the phone rang, Abby launched herself like a rocket from the sofa. She had picked it up and answered before the first ring ended. "Hello?" she said breathlessly.

            "Hello, Abby," said a deep, quiet voice.

            Abby's hands tightened around the phone. "Who is this?" she asked, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest.

            "I think what you should ask is, who is _this_?"

            There was the sound of the phone switching hands, then, "Mommy?" 

            "Riley!" Abby yelled into the phone, almost fainting with relief. Her son was okay! He wasn't dead! "Are you okay, baby?"

            "I'm fine, Mommy," the deep voice said mockingly.

            "What do you want?" Abby asked, her voice cracking.

            "Money. Plain and simple. I get my money, you get your kids."

            "How much do you want?" Abby said desperately.

            "Hundred grand, of course. At least, that's what I wanted originally. But I had to go to a lot of trouble to arrange all this. The price has gone up. So let's say...two hundred grand gets you your sweet little kiddies back."

            "Okay, okay." Abby said quickly, not thinking about how she was going to get the money. All that mattered was the twins' safety. "I just want my kids."

            "Okay, Get in your car- right now- and go to the McDonalds on the corner of Main and Palmer. You'll find instructions waiting for you there. And you better not call the cops. I'll have someone watching, and if I catch even the scent of a cop, you're never gonna see your sweet little kiddies again. Got it? Good. You've got ten minutes."

            "But wait a minute, how do I-"

            Abby realized she was talking to a dial tone.

_____________________________________________________

            "We can't risk it, Carter. It's too dangerous."

            "Oh, and following the instructions of a kidnapper isn't? I want the twins back too, Abby, but we should call the cops. What if we end up in some deserted alley, with no one but us and a bunch of kidnappers?"

            "But what if they see the cops? Police aren't foolproof, you know. All we need is for one kidnapper to catch one glance of one cop, and it's all over."

            "Not necessarily. They'll get mad, but they want their money. They're not going to kill the kids just cause they see a cop."

            It made Abby sick to even _talk _about someone killing her children. She held out her hand. "Fine, if you don't want to go, just give me your keys and I'll go by myself."

            Carter stared at her. "Are you crazy? I'm not letting you go meet these kidnappers by yourself, so they can kill you too." He stuffed his keys in his pocket.

            "Fine, I'll take my own car."

            "Without any gas?"

            Abby was so frustrated she felt like screaming. "I don't have time to argue with you, Carter!" she yelled at him. "These people are going to hurt Jill and Riley if I don't do what they say! I may not save them this way, but I have to try." 

            Abby grabbed her car keys and walked outside. She would just get some gas and not pay for it; what were they going to do to her? She had just slipped the key in the ignition when Carter came running out of the house. "Okay, I'm ready. Just had to get my checkbook." 

            Abby looked confused. "What for?" she asked. 

            "We need some way to pay the ransom."


	24. Stop The Car!

Chapter 24

            "Who is this?"

            Abby was surprised by how afraid her voice sounded. 

            "I think what you should ask is, who is _this_?"

            A chill went down Abby's spine as she listened to her son's voice again. Riley was okay. She prayed that Jill was too. She had to get to them in time, save them from these terrible monsters that had kidnapped them.

            She and Carter sat in silence as they listened to the recorded conversation between her and the kidnapper. The police had given them the recorder and told them to tape all incoming calls. Now, it had served a very important purpose.

            "Why did he say 'of course'?" Abby asked abruptly shattering the silence that had permeated the car.

            "What?" Carter asked. He was so focused on listening to the tape for any possible clues, he barely heard her question.

            "He said, 'A hundred grand, of course'. Why of course?"

            Carter frowned. Now that he thought about it, it didn't make much sense. "I don't know," he admitted. "There's got to be a reason."

            "And what did Eric have to do with this? He left the house with the kids, and an hour later they found him beat up in an alley. What happened to him?"

            Carter thought that Eric had probably been a part of the kidnapping scheme, but he knew Abby didn't want to hear that. So he remained silent.

            Abby gripped the steering wheel. "I wish he was awake. I want to hear his side of this."

When the tape had ended, Carter said, "He didn't even say where to meet him. I hope we're not making a mistake."

            "Even if we are, I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try. I have to try."

            They rode the rest of the way to McDonalds in silence. Abby pulled into the parking lot and left the car idling. "So, what now?" she asked Carter, nervously twisting her hands.

            Carter shrugged, and was about to respond when they heard a knock on the window. They both jumped in surprise, and turned to see a teenage boy standing at the passenger window. He was wearing a baseball cap and shades, and they could barely tell what race he was, much less what he looked like.

            Carter rolled the window down just a crack, and peered out. He was surprised when the kid said nothing. He simply handed Carter an envelope and departed.

            Carter eagerly ripped the envelope open. Abby grabbed the first object that fell out, and stared at it disbelievingly.

            It was a picture of Jill and Riley.

            Both were looking directly into the camera, with small, hesitant smiles on their faces. It felt like their eyes were piercing straight to Abby's heart. They were okay. At least, they had been.

            Meanwhile, Carter had unfolded the accompanying letter and began to read it aloud.

_Dear Abby,_

_As you can see, the kids are fine and dandy._

_They won't be for long if I don't get what I want._

_I've decided to send you on a scavenger hunt,_

_just to make sure that you took me seriously_

_when I said no cops. Go to the First National Bank,_

_and drive up to the first drop window. You will_

_find a letter there. Once I'm convinced you're_

_not being followed, I'll tell you where to _

_bring the ransom._

_Your friend,_

_Jack_

_            Carter carefully folded the letter and placed it on the dashboard. Playing with the flap of the envelope, he turned to Abby at Abby._

            "They're okay, Carter. They're really okay." She sat there for a moment, clutching the picture of Jill and Riley. Then, she placed the picture on the dashboard, next to the letter, and put the car in reserve.

________________________________________________________

            "Do you think he knew about Eric?"

            They had just received their fourth clue, which instructed them to go to the bank and 'get the money'.

             "What about him?" 

            "That he won the money."

            "You mean cause they told us to go to the bank?"

            "Yeah. Why else would they think that I just had a hundred thousand dollars lying around?"

            Carter frowned. "But Eric only won fifty thousand. Why would he have a hundred?"

            "I don't know," Abby admitted. "But something isn't right here."

            When they got to the grocery store that the note had directed them to, Carter retrieved the message from the dumpster behind the store. He read the message slowly, then said, "I don't like this, Abby."

            "What?" Abby asked, snatching the note out of his hand. 

            "He wants us to just drop off the ransom and leave. If we do that, we don't have anything to bargain with."

            Abby was silent for a moment. "But can we afford to say no?"

            "We can't just give him the money, Abby. We have no guarantee that he'll give us the kids in return."

            Abby closed her eyes and leaned her head up against the seat. This couldn't be happening. Now, Carter would refuse to pay the ransom, and she would never see her children again. She felt like screaming with frustration. Didn't Carter see that this was the only way?

            "Then what do you propose we do, Carter?" Abby asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

            "Go home and wait for him to contact us."

            Abby stared at him. "You _can't be serious!"_

            "Just hear me out. He wants the money, so he'll do whatever it takes to get it from us. He's not just gonna get mad and give up because we don't go on his little treasure hunt."

            "No, he'll just get mad and take it out on the kids. He has our _children, _Carter. We can't afford to piss him off."

            "But if we give him the money now, we'll have nothing. Nothing to offer him."

            "But what if he hurts the kids?" Abby cried out, almost hysterically. 

            Carter didn't look at Abby. "This is kind of a lose-lose situation. No matter what we do, he has the upper hand."

            Abby was trying to keep herself from crying. This was so unfair, that Carter had the money and she didn't. Carter got to decide whether her kids would live or die, and he didn't seem to care.

            "Maybe we should just call the cops-"

            "NO!" Abby yelled so loudly that he jumped. "We can't! We'll ruin everything! If he finds out, we might never see the kids again!"

            "Okay. So what do you propose we do? Just give him the money and hope he turns over the twins?"

            "I don't know, okay? I don't know what we should do?" Abby said, squeezing her eyes shut. "I just don't want to do the wring thing and spend the rest of my life regretting it."

            Carter thought for a moment. What did he have to lose? He had plenty of money; his bank account wouldn't miss one hundred thousand. But if they didn't give up the money, there was a good chance that the twins might be hurt. He couldn't risk that.

            Carter checked his watch. They didn't have much time. "Okay, let's do it then."

_______________________________________________________________

            It was a grim and anxious Abby who left the drop point. She looked around as she walked towards the car, as if she expected to see the kidnapper lurking in the bushes. If she had, she probably would have killed him with her bare hands. When would she see the kids again.

            "So, what do we do now?" Abby asked shakily. It unnerved her to give away so much of someone else's money. 

            Carter examined the note. "We go to Arbor Park."

            "Oh, yeah. Of course." They drove to the park in silence.

            It was a large park, but the note told them to go to the picnic area. There, they would find their next clue.

            The 'picnic area' turned out to be two metal tables and a bench, in the midst of several dead trees. There was no clue.

            Carter and Abby got out of the car. "You see anything?" Carter asked, walking towards the tables.

            "No. Maybe it's under one of the tables." They began to scour the picnic area in search of a clue.

            After ten minutes, it was obvious. There was nothing there.

            "This was all just a set-up," Carter said bitterly. Why had he thought they could trust a kidnapper's word?

            "Oh, no," Abby said quietly, sinking to one of the picnic tables. So it was over. No more clues, no more money. And no sign of Jill and Riley.

            "Maybe...maybe there's another picnic area somewhere," Abby suggested hopefully.

            "Maybe." Carter's face was like a stone. He realized that they had been tricked. _Now how would they get the kids back?_

            But still, they drove around the park. Abby stared out of her window desperately, as if she expected a picnic area to sprout out of the ground. Carter's eyes were hard, and he focused on the road ahead of him.

            They drove through the park's rugged trails for ten minutes, each of them performing their prescribed duties. Suddenly, Abby yelled out, "Carter! stop the car!"

            In front of them was a large, pleasant picnic area with several freshly painted picnic tables. And sitting at one of those tables was a little boy with dark, curly hair.


	25. The Boy At The Table

Chapter 25

            Abby leapt out of the still-moving car and raced towards the picnic table. "RILEY!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

            The little boy was looking vacantly around the clearing, but at the sound of Abby's voice, he turned his head sharply towards the car, and the woman racing towards him.

            "Mommy?" he asked carefully, then, "Mommy!"

            Quickly removing his legs from under the picnic table, he stood and prepared to run towards Abby, but she was already standing next to him.

            She snatched him up in her arms and squeezed him tightly. Tears blurred her vision as she held her son in her arms once again.

            "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" 

            Riley smiled widely, and buried his face in his mother's shirt. "I missed you, Mommy," he said.

            "I missed you too, baby."

            Meanwhile, Carter had noticed the exchange, and when he saw that the boy sitting at the table was indeed Riley, he followed Abby out of the car.

            "Daddy!" Riley proclaimed at Carter ran up to them.

            Carter wrapped him arms around both of them. This couldn't be real. Riley was alright!

            "Are you okay?" he asked him, pulling them both closer to him.

            Riley nodded. "But that man wasn't nice. He hit Jill."

            Riley's statement brought Abby back to reality. "Jill. Where is she? Is she here, too?" Frantically, Abby scanned the clearing, expecting to see her daughter at any moment.

            But Riley shook his head. "He left Jill at his house. He brought me here and told me to sit at the table."

            "His house! Do you know where it is? Do you think you could show us?" Carter asked eagerly.

            Abby gave him a sad look. "Carter, he's three. He can't give us directions to the house."

            "I know where it is!" Riley said defiantly. "It was by the trees!"

            "By the trees? You mean in the woods?" Riley looked confused. "Nevermind; it's okay. I'm just glad you're safe."

            "Do you remember what the man looked like, honey?" Abby asked gently.

            Riley wrinkled his brow in concentration. "He was tall, like Daddy," he finally said.

            Carter looked around. "Do you see a note?" Abby looked around, then shook her head. "Riley? Did the man leave a note?"

            Riley thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, he just left me."

            Abby nodded, then sighed. "Okay, okay. I guess we should call the police now."

            Slowly, the three of them walked back towards the car.

______________________________________________________________

            The police were not happy. "Do you know how dangerous this was? Both of you could have gotten killed."

            But Abby didn't care. All she knew was, she had done what the kidnapper asked and had gotten her son back. Now she would do whatever it took to get Jill back too. Then, they could be a family again.

            "I did what I had to," Abby said, unapologetic.

            The officer sighed. "Well, we're going to put a tap on your phone, so if he calls again, we'll know."

            "You're not going to follow us if he tells us to go somewhere, are you?" Abby asked quickly.

            "It's a safety precaution. It could be very dangerous if, say, he asked to meet you somewhere before he turned over your daughter. We could have someone tail you discreetly."

            "No," Abby said firmly. "It's too dangerous. If he catches a glimpse of a cop, he might decide to forget the whole thing."

            The cop looked at Carter, as if he expected him to talk some sense into Abby. Carter looked back. When he realized that they were in agreement, he said, "Well, I hope you realize that he's going to ask for more money. He gave you your son for what he got; if you want your daughter, you're going to have to pay more ransom. If you cooperate with the police, we have a ransom fund that you can use."

            Carter shook his head. "Money's not an issue. We just want to do whatever we have to to get Jill back, and having a cop following us when he calls again isn't going to help."

            The cop sighed wearily. "Well, maybe this whole argument is for nothing. He might not tell you to go a certain place next time, so this whole discussion could be moot. I know you both want your daughter back, but you have to think rationally. You'll have a greater chance of getting her back if you have the whole police force behind you." 

            He stood up to leave. "Think about it, okay?" 

_________________________________________________________________

            Carter knocked softly on Abby's bedroom door. "Abby? You in there?"

            In response, Abby slowly opened the door with a finger pressed to her lips. Peeking into the room, he saw Riley lying on her bed, sound asleep.

            Carter gently sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's so good to have him back," he said quietly.

            Abby smiled and sat down next to him, gazing down at her son. "I almost feel guilty for being happy that he's back. Jill's still gone, and we don't know if we'll ever get her back, but still...I'm so glad he's okay." She reached a hand up to pat down an errant hair on Riley's head.

            "He'll probably contact us soon. He'll ask us for more money, and we'll give it to him, and he'll give us Jill."

            "I hope so," Abby said, but her voice didn't sound hopeful.         

            "What's wrong?" Carter asked.

            "I just have a feeling that's something's going to go wrong. It's just too easy, you know? I pray with all of my heart that that's all it'll take, but I'm just scared that something will go wrong." Abby looked down at Riley sleeping peacefully. What she wouldn't give to see Jill sleeping next to him!

            Carter placed a hand on Abby's shoulder. "There's no reason why this can't end well," Carter said. "We have Riley back now, don't we? And soon we're going to have Jill back, too."

            Abby nodded slowly. "I hope you're right."  


	26. Eric's Side Of The Story

Chapter 26  
Abby, Jill, and Riley were all eating breakfast.  
"Mommy, I want toast," said Jill.  
"We're all out of toast, honey."  
Jill's bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "But that's not fair. Riley already got two slices and I didn't get any." Riley grinned and stuck his tongue out at Jill.  
"Stop it, Riley. I'll make you some toast, Jill."  
Jill smiled widely and got up to hug her mother. "I love you, Mommy," she said.  
"Would you still love me if I didn't make you any toast?" Abby asked jokingly.  
"Of course, Mommy!" Jill said, shocked that her mother could think such a thing.  
"Phone's ringing!" Riley yelled. Abby wanted to answer it, but she knew it would mean leaving...leaving...  
Leaving Jill.  
As the blaring phone jarred Abby from her sleep, the pain of her loss was as intense as if Jill had died. She didn't want to get up, and reenter the world where Jill was still missing, where she didn't know if she would ever see her daughter again. She kept her eyes closed, trying to hold on to those last few wisps of her dream, but they slipped away from her like sand through her fingers. Jill was gone. Why should Abby get up until she was safe at home?  
But Abby had a reason to get up. She rolled over onto her side and opened her eyes. There, sleeping peacefully, was Riley. He was safe. Soon Jill would be safe too. She promised herself that, once they were all back together, she would never take her children for granted again.  
And what about Carter? He seemed to be taking this all pretty well, but that was probably because he had just met them. He hadn't cared for Jill and Riley since they were newborns; he hadn't worked twelve hours a day to support them. He didn't love them as much as she did; he wouldn't care as much as she did if Jill never came home.  
Abby noticed that the phone had stopped ringing. Had Carter answered it? Her question was answered in a few seconds, when Carter came bounding up the stairs.  
"Abby; great news. Eric woke up."  
At the sound of his words, her heart flip-flopped. She felt guilty; had she even thought of her brother in the past 24 hours? And then she felt fear; what would Eric have to tell her about the kidnapping? She was afraid that maybe it was something she would not want to hear.  
But she had to know. Hopping out of the bed, she headed for her closet to get dressed. It was time to go see Eric.  
  
_________________________________________________________  
  
It didn't feel right. She shouldn't be leaving him this soon.  
But in the end, she had realized that it was the only solution. Them couldn't all go to the hospital; what if the kidnapper called? And it would be stupid for her to take Riley with her while Carter stayed home; who knew who was lurking, waiting for them to let their guard down? And she couldn't send Carter to talk to her brother. So she had left Riley at home with Carter, promising him that she would be back as soon as possible.  
He didn't want her to go. He had spent the last day in the hands of a kidnapper, and now, he just wanted to spend some time alone with his Mommy. But this was important; who knew what light Eric could shed on the situation? So she decided to make her visit as brief as possible. Still, the sight of Riley's tear-stained face as she left the house was almost more than she could bear.  
Abby pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, and realized that she hadn't been in to visit Eric since she first found out where he was. Has that really only been two days ago? It seemed like an eternity.  
Abby walked up to his room; she had gotten the number in advance. When she pushed open the door, there was Eric, propped up with pillows, watching a talk show on TV.  
"Hi, Eric."  
Eric jumped, then turned towards her. "Oh. You scared me." His eyes suddenly took on a worried look, as if he had suddenly remembered something. "Are the twins okay?"  
Abby wasn't sure what to make of his statement. "They were...kidnapped," Abby said, surprised at the catch in her own voice.  
Eric's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, my God," he said. "Are they okay? No, wait, that's a stupid question. Did you get a ransom note or anything?"  
"Why'd you think I might have gotten a ransom note?" Abby asked suspiciously. It seemed mighty convenient that that was the first thing to come out of Eric's mouth. Had he known about this all along?  
"What?"  
"It just seems kinda strange, how that's the first thing you mention."  
"What are you talking about?" Eric was confused now.  
It was time to put all her cards on the table. Jill was still missing, and she didn't have time to tip-toe around Eric's feelings. "Did you have anything to do with this?" she asked bluntly.  
"WHAT?" Eric's eyes were wide in disbelief. "What do you mean? Did I- did I kidnap your kids?" Eric said incredulously, waiting for Abby to deny that this was what she was saying. When she didn't he said, "I can't believe you, Abby. How could you think I would do something like that to you?"  
Abby didn't respond.  
Eric was at a loss for words. "Why, Abby?" he asked, his voice quiet with hurt.  
Abby was beginning to think that maybe she had been wrong about Eric. "Well, you show up at my house acting weird, then you disappear with my kids. What was I supposed to think?"  
"I uny uny park," Eric mumbled.  
"What?" Abby said.  
"I took them to the park. Riley kept telling me about how great the park was, and when he said it was only a couple of blocks from your house, I said I would take them. Riley said he knew how to get there, but I guess he didn't, cause we sort of got lost. Then, some guys jumped me, and...that's the last thing I remember."  
Could Eric be telling the truth? But what about the money? "The kidnapper said the ransom was 'a hundred grand, of course'. Does that mean anything to you?"  
"Not really," Eric said, staring intently at the wall behind Abby's head. She could tell he was lying.  
"Eric, I don't have time for this! I need to find Jill so if you know something that could help TELL ME!" she screeched at him.  
Eric was surprised by his sister's outburst. "Well, I...I sort of started gambling. I have a foolproof strategy; I was winning everywhere I went. Vegas, Atlantic City; I just had a good time and-" Abby cleared her throat loudly, hinting for him to get on with the story, and he said, "Sorry. Anyway, I won a lot of money, and I wasn't exactly quiet about it. I would treat all the guys out to dinner, stay in nice hotels, the works. I was really throwing my money around.  
"Then I took this one bet. It was double or nothing, fifty grand. It was a huge risk, everybody thought I was crazy, but I won it, and I ended up with a hundred thousand dollars!" Eric's face lit up as he talked about his winnings.  
"After that, I had even more people trying to cozy up to me. It got hard to tell my real friends from the phonies. And this one guy wouldn't let up. He kept asking me to lend him money, or sometimes just give it to him. One he said, "I need twenty grand. My grandma, she's dying. It's not like you're gonna miss it, right?' But when I didn't give him the money, he got mad. He cursed me out, wrecked my hotel room, and left. I haven't seen him since."  
"Have you told the police about this?" Abby asked. This could be the breakthrough they were looking for.  
Eric shook his head. Whipping out her cell phone, Abby dialed the number that had become very familiar in the last few days. Maybe the police would be able to find out who this man was, and if he had anything to do with the disappearance of her children.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
They found him.  
"Dean Joseph Amos, twenty-nine years old," read the officer from the screen. Abby stared at the picture of the surly young man. Was this the one who had kidnapped her children?  
Abby held her breath at Carter led Riley downstairs. The officer had warned her not to give Riley any signal, but she was hoping, praying that he would be able to identify the man.  
The officer was making small talk with Riley, trying to put him at ease for the test ahead. Finally, he said, "Okay, Riley, we're going to play a little game. I'll show you a picture of a person, and you tell me if you recognize them. I'm not going to be mad if you don't recognize anyone, I just want you to tell the truth. Okay?"  
Riley glanced uncertainly at Abby, and she smiled and nodded in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Okay," Riley said solemnly, determined not to let the police officer down.  
Riley and the officer sat across from Abby; she couldn't see the pictures. She wouldn't know when he was showing him the real picture, the one of the suspected kidnapper.  
"Do you recognize this man?"  
Riley studied the picture for a while, then finally shook his head. The officer put the photo away and held up another.  
"Do you recognize this man?"  
As he went through the pictures, Abby's hope slowly leaked away. Had he already shown the picture?  
After several photos, the officer closed his book. "Thank you, Riley. You've been a big help." He shook Riley's hand, and Carter took him back upstairs.  
"Did you show it to him?" Abby said quickly, as soon as they had left the room.  
The officer nodded reluctantly. "He didn't recognize it. But it doesn't matter much; we couldn't have gotten a warrant on the word of a three year old anyway. We just wanted to see what he would say. It could still be him; kids that young can't remember faces all that well."  
"I know that," Abby snapped, then, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be yelling at you. What will you do now?"  
"We'll still pursue this, see if we can find Amos." He stood up. "I'll call you if there are any new developments."  
Carter joined her in the living room. "He missed him, didn't he?"  
Abby nodded. "But they're still gonna look for him. Did anyone call while I was gone?"  
Carter shook his head.  
"Well, I'm gonna go up and talk to Riley." Abby headed up the steps, her heart heavy. 


	27. The Bad Guys

A/N: **Nette, E, Carbyfan, **and all you other worried souls, don't give up on me yet! I promise that, despite the current angst, this story _will _have a happy ending. You just gotta believe. 

One thing to keep in mind as you read the following chapters: it's not necessarily written in chronological order. I just put things in the order that I thought would best tell the story, and though it may seem confusing for a bit, be assured that all will be explained in the end. With that in mind, read on.

Chapter 27

"I still say it's too dangerous."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Joey growled, silencing him with a scowl. Why had he ever thought that it would be a good idea to bring his whiny cousin in on the deal? But now, it was too late. Scott had helped create the plan and delivered one of the notes, so now he expected his fair share of the money.

"Is that stupid brat crying again?"

Scott peered down the hall. "Sounds like it. You want me to go and check on her?"

"_No,_ I want you to go and shut her up." 

Scott nodded. "Of course. I'll be right back." He headed down the hall.

"Mommy!" Jill cried out, waking from her dream. She looked around the room. Where was Mommy? 

Then she remembered when she was. She was with the bad men, and now Riley was gone. She had had another bad dream, but Mommy wasn't there to make her feel better.

The door opened, and Scott walked in. "Hi, Jill," he said, sitting down by the fold-out bed that Jill slept on.

"I want Mommy," Jill said, tears beginning to trickle down her face. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to go back to Daddy's house, back to the room she shared with Riley.

"Don't worry, you're gonna get to see your Mommy soon," Scott reassured her. "Just as soon as your mommy gives us our money."

"Mommy has your money?" Jill asked, confused.

"Yep, a lot of our money. As soon as she gives it back to us, we'll take you home."

"But Mommy doesn't have any money," she told him.

"Well, maybe she can borrow some from her friends. But I'm sure she'll get it somehow, if she wants you to come home."

Daddy has money, Jill thought. Maybe he could give Mommy some. She was about to tell Scott this, but decided to keep her mouth shut. Scott was a bad man; she wasn't going to tell him anything. 

Jill looked out the small, dirty window. She wanted to go outside and play. She wished Uncle Eric had gotten to take them to the park. She was tired of spending all this time in this little room.

Scott patted Jill on the head. "No more crying, okay. You don't want to make Joey mad."

___________________________________________________________

Riley looked out the large, clear window. He wanted to go outside and play. He wished Jill were here, so he would have someone to play with.

"What's the mater, Riley?" Carter sat down next to him in the window seat.

Riley sighed. "I miss Jill. I want her to be home again," he said softly.

She'll be home soon," Carter reassured him, though he himself wasn't sure of that.

Riley shook his head. "But that man didn't like her. He wasn't nice to her."

Carter's heart quickened. "What did he do to her?"

"He was mean to her. He yelled at her, and he locked her in the room."

Carter slowly took a deep breath, trying to control himself. The thought of some full-grown man attacking his three-year-old daughter was enough to make he want to slam his fist into a wall. But that wouldn't help the situation, so he remained calm.

How much longer would Jill have to suffer? The police had said that the kidnappers would probably call again and ask for money, but so far, they hadn't heard anything. He was starting to worry; was Jill okay? Why hadn't the kidnapper called yet?

"But you can get Jill back, right Daddy?" Riley looked up at his father, and the hope in his eyes was almost enough to make Carter cry. Riley has so much faith in Carter's ability to save Jill; for that matter, so did Abby. It was only Carter who doubted himself.

What if he couldn't get Jill back? Carter felt like the only thing he could contribute to the search was his money, but what if that wasn't enough? What if the kidnappers were just after revenge, and no amount of money in the world could buy Jill's safety?

"I'll get her back," Carter promised him.

And he would. He would do whatever it took to bring Jill back home safely.

___________________________________________________________

Joey was livid.

"You IDIOT! How could you have let this happen?"

"It was a mistake," Scott stammered. "I didn't mean to-"

"_WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE MISTAKES!" _Joey screeched into his cousin face.

"I'm sorry, Joey, I didn't-"

"_Shut up_!" Joey's fist slammed into Scott's face, but his rage still wasn't satisfied. He wanted to kill Scott; stupid Scott, who had ruined his perfect plan. They didn't have the girl; they weren't safe anymore. They had to rush now, and when you rushed, you made mistakes. He knew he never should have brought Scott in on the plan.

"Because of you, I have to call her now, instead of waiting like I wanted to. You've ruined EVERYTHING!" Joey picked up the phone and stabbed the numbers.

"But Joey, what if she doesn't have the money..." Scott whispered, fearful of him cousin's wrath.

"_Shut. Up." _Joey said the words with cold precision, pointing a finger at Scott's face. "She'll find it. She's gotta know that we want more now."

Scott nodded. "You're probably right," he agreed, trying to pacify Joey's wrath.

"I said shut up. Don't think you're off the hook. You ruined my perfect plan; you're gonna pay for it, make no mistake about that. But for now, I just wanna get the money and run."

___________________________________________________________________

Susan closed her eyes as she worked the lather into her hair. Ah, that was nice. She knew it was worth it to buy the expensive shampoo. Her hair felt better already.

As she rinsed the rich, sweet smelling lather out of her hair, she thought she heard the phone ringing. Poking her head out from behind the curtain, she held her breath as she listened for a ring. After several seconds, she realized that it must have just been her imagination. With a sigh, she stuck her head back into the shower and readjusted the curtain.

She wondered how Carter and Abby were doing. They were probably frantic with worry; she couldn't imagine how she would feel if her child was kidnapped. 

It had been three days now, and still, no word from the kidnapper. Last time she had seen Abby, she looked awful. Bags under her eyes, face creased with worry, Susan could tell she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since her children were taken. And she probably wouldn't until Jill was safe at home.

Susan wished there was more she could do to help. She knew how awful Carter and Abby must be feeing right now. 

Susan's reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. Normally, she would ignore someone at the door if she was in the shower. But since the twins' disappearance, she had felt like she should answer the door ever time someone knocked. She knew it was unlikely, but what if someone showed up at her door with news of the twins? That was more important than finishing her shower. So she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and walked towards the living room.

"I'm coming!" she yelled in response to the rapid knocking at the door. Whoever it was, it must be something important. She quickened her pace, and flung open the door as soon as she got to it.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that awaited her there.

_________________________________________________________________

Abby answered the phone on the first ring. 

"Hello?" she said quickly.

"Hello, Abby." She felt a chill go down her spine at the sound of the voice she had come to recognize.

"Where's Jill? Is she okay?" Abby forced herself to keep her voice calm. Breaking down would just make things worse.

"She's fine. And you'll see her by the end of today if you follow my instructions."

Carter frowned as he listened in on the other extension. Was is just him, or did the man's voice seem to waver uncertainly at the last sentence? Carter's stomach clenched. Was Jill really alright? 

"What do you want?"

"Go to the corner of Eight and Main. You'll find instructions there." Click.

As Carter hung up the phone, he had an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right; he knew it. The kidnapper's voice had lost its usual confidence when he mentioned them seeing Jill again. Was it because they wouldn't?

Abby ran into the kitchen, already hustling into her coat. "C'mon, Carter, let's go," she said.

As Carter watched her racing around the kitchen looking for her keys, he felt unexplainably sad. Abby had so much hope. She really believed that if she did whatever the kidnapper wanted, she would get Jill back. Carter had seen enough movies to know that it didn't always work that way. Especially when the kidnappers got the money first. 

Should he mention his suspicions to Abby? He looked at her racing around the kitchen in search of her keys. Why should he destroy her hope? If the kidnappers weren't going to come through on their end of the bargain, she would know soon enough.

As Carter shrugged on his coat, he prayed that his vague suspicions were incorrect.


	28. Carter VS The Kidnapper

Chapter 28

            Joey drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. How long would it take for the money to get here?

            "How long will it take for the money to get here?" Scott asked.

            Joey backhanded him. "Shut up. We wouldn't even be here, waiting like _idiots_, if you hadn't messed everything up."

            "I'm sorry, Joey," Scott said ruefully.     

            "This plan is so stupid. We're just asking for the cops to come and pick us off." Joey sat it silence for another moment, brooding. "Maybe we should just cut our losses. We got two hundred grand."

            "But that's only a hundred for each of us," Scott whined. "We could go through that in a year. Let's just wait for the last payoff, then we can get out of here."

            Joey shook his head. "It's too dangerous. If they've got cops following them, things could get ugly."

            "But the _money. Think about the _money_."_

            Joey thought about the money. He craved money; it was the key to his happiness. He had never had much of it; now, he had a hundred thousand. But it wasn't enough. Just one more payoff, then he would be happy.

            "But if they get to the pickup spot and sees that she's not there-"

            "By the time they get there, we'll be long gone. Us and the money."

            He nodded. It was worth the risk for the money. After this, he could live high. All he had to do was pull off this last stunt...

            Joey's mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. "There they are," he said, pointing. He licked his lips in anticipation. Soon, the money would be his.

___________________________________________________________

            "Okay, they got the call."

            "Where?" asked Monty, preparing to run out the door.

            "Eight and Main. Let's get five unmarked units out; that way we can keep a loose hold on them. We don't want the bad guys getting a whiff of us, do we?" Monty shook his head.

            The sergeant radioed five teams to trail them. He felt kind of bad about it; after all, they had requested that the police not follow them. But if they botched things up and the kid ended up dead, his police department would look bad. So he sent the units out to tail them. 

            For about an hour, his men made routine reports on where they were and what the car was doing. Suddenly, one of the officers said, "Sir? I think we might have a problem."

            "What's wrong?" he barked into the radio.

            "It looks like we've got a confrontation."

_____________________________________________________________

            Just like last time, Abby dropped off the money.

            She placed two hundred thousand of Carter's dollars carefully in the dumpster, then walked back towards the car. "We're supposed to go to the river," she reminded Carter, who appeared to be in a trance.

            Carter pointed to some nearby bushes. "Did you see that?"

            "What?"

            "I saw someone. Moving in the bushes."

            They both stared at the bushes for several seconds, but no one emerged. "Maybe you just imagined it," Abby said, eager to get to the river and pick up Jill.

            "_No_, I didn't. I saw someone in those bushes; I think maybe it was him."

            Abby's eyes widened. "The kidnapper? How do you know?"

            "I don't. I just have a feeling." He looked grim. "I want you to drive around the corner and drop me off. I'm gonna walk back over here and see if it's him."

            "But what if it is him? What are you gonna do, _kill_ him?" Abby didn't like the look on Carter's face.

            "I'm gonna do whatever it takes," Carter said, determined.

            "But what about Jill? She should be waiting at the river right now! We need to get her!"

            "You go get her. I'll stay here."

            Abby bit her lip. This wasn't a good idea, but she didn't have time to argue with him. She needed to go get Jill. Jill was at the river right now, alone! That thought spurred her to action. She drove around the corner. "Don't do anything stupid," she said as he got out of the car.

_______________________________________________________________________________

            "It's there! It's there!" Scott squealed. He wanted to hop out of the car right then and grab the money.

            "No, wait. We have to be patient." In reality, Joey felt like leaping out of the car himself. The money was so close...all he had to do was reach out and grab it.

            As their car sat there, Joey got worried. Why weren't they heading to the river at top speed? Why were they just sitting there like they didn't have a care in the world? Joey wondered if they were plotting a way to get the ransom _and _the girl. He was beginning to think that this might not have been a good idea.

            Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, the car drove off. Both Joey and Scoot breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get the money!" Scott said excitedly.

            Joey grabbed his arm. "No. Not yet. We wait." This was a bad, last-minute plan, but he wasn't going to ruin it by rushing. He didn't want to lose his money because of a stupid mistake.

            Finally, after several minutes, Joey got out of the car. He looked around surreptitiously. No cops in sight. He had his hand on the lid of the dumpster when he was tackled from behind.

_________________________________________________________________________

            "Did you see a little girl around here? Three years old, dark brown hair?" Yet another man shook his head and walked off quickly before Abby could ask him anymore questions.

            Abby still had hope. Sure, he had said to look by the Arnold's hot dog stand. And she had found nothing there. But that didn't mean anything. Jill could have wandered off.

            "Have you seen a little girl? Three yea-"

            "No," said the man abruptly, walking off. Abby felt like sinking to her knees in despair. Where was Jill?

            She had believed with all of her heart that, after getting the money, the kidnappers would turn Jill over, just like they had turned Riley over. But now, it looked like that wasn't the case.

            Abby's mind was numb. She didn't know what to do next. Jill wasn't here.

            She wished Carter was here, instead of at the dumpster. Maybe he would know what to do. Right now, she couldn't even think.

            She would keep looking. She would keep asking. She couldn't give up.

            "Have you seen a little girl?"

_______________________________________________________________

            Carter grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the ground. He called him names he hadn't used in years. He fought like he was battling the devil himself. He wanted to kill him. This was the man who had kidnapped his children, who had caused he and Abby so much pain. He slammed his fists into the man's face repeatedly, giving him just a taste of what Carter and Abby had experienced over the past few days.

            He was vaguely aware of another man jumping on him, trying to stop him, but his adrenaline had kicked in now. He tossed the scrawny man aside like a fly, then continued pummeling his companion.

            The man had blood streaming from his face and soaking his shirt, but Carter didn't stop. In fact, he didn't stop until the cops pulled them apart.


	29. Ransom

Chapter 29

            "She's not here."

            At Abby's words, Carter's spirit crumbled. "No," he said weakly. It was all he could say. What else was there?

            The two kidnappers had been arrested, but Jill was not with them. The cops had found Joey's house and broken into it. There, they found a room with two small fold out beds, and in it was a shirt that Carter had identified as the one Jill was wearing when she disappeared. But there was no one in the house.

            Abby had been at the river for more than an hour. There wasn't a stranger she hadn't asked or a tree she hadn't looked behind. Jill was not here. What could they do now?

            "We'll organize a search party, get her picture on the news, see if anything shows up."

            Abby shook her head, the horror of the situation finally sinking in. It wasn't supposed to end this way. They had given up the money; now, they were supposed to get Jill back safe and sound.

            Carter wrapped his arm around Abby. "Let's go home, okay?" he suggested gently.

            Abby closed her eyes. This was too horrible to be real. It had to be some terrible nightmare. But when she opened her eyes, the same scene was still in front of her.

            She nodded at Carter. "Okay," she said, her voice raspy.

________________________________________________________________________

            "Jill?"

            Riley came bounding down the stairs, eagerly looking around. "Where's Jill?" he asked eagerly.

            "She's not here, honey," Abby said softly.

            Riley's face fell. "But I thought you were going to bring her home. I heard you and Daddy talking about it."

            Abby looked down, tears threatening to fall. "I'm sorry, baby; she's not here."

            Riley's face crumpled, a mask of disappointment. "I thought you said you'd get her, Daddy," he said, looking up to Carter for an explanation.

            Carter dropped to his knees. "I'm sorry, Riley; I thought I was going to be able to. But it's not over yet; I'm going to keep doing whatever I have to. I'm going to find her." Looking up at Abby, he said once again, "I'm going to find her." 

_________________________________________________________________________

            "I'm gonna go look by the river."

            Carter looked up at Abby. Her face was etched with sadness.

            Carter looked up at her. "You know they already had the search party looking all around the river for three hours."

            Abby nodded. "I know, I know. I just want to help."

            Carter took her hand. "Abby, there's nothing to find by the river. There's no _one. _She's not there."

            Abby snatched her hand from his. "Well, I can look. At least it's better than just sitting here doing nothing." She headed for the door.

            "Abby, stop." He stood up. Quickly walking over to the door, he stood in front of it, blocking her path.

            "Move!" she yelled, losing her temper. She hit Carter in his chest. What was his problem? Jill was missing, and he was trying to stop _her_ from looking for her!

            "Abby, you're not gonna find her by the river." He grabbed her shoulders. "Riley needs you _here. He's scared that he's never going to see his sister again, and he needs you to let him know that things are going to be okay."_

            "How can I tell him that when I don't even know it myself? Jill could be d-d-dead-" at that words, all the fire leaked out of Abby like air out of a balloon. She just wanted Jill to be okay. Was that too much to ask?

            Abby shook her head. "I'm not just going to give up on her, Carter."

            "I'm not asking you to-"

            "Yes you are! You want me to sit on the couch like you, pretending like nothing's wrong! Well, something is wrong! My daughter is missing, and I'm not going to stop looking for her until she's safe at home!"

            "Jill isn't the only child you have! You have to think about Riley too! He's scared and he needs his mother, but she's too busy running off to think about him!"

            "I am thinking about him!" Abby screeched. "I'm thinking that the best think for him is to have his sister back, and I'm not going to get that by just sitting on my hands doing nothing!"

            "Oh, is that what you think I'm doing?"

            Abby's head snapped up and down quickly. "Well you're sitting here, doing nothing, while Jill is still missing. And now, you don't even want me to go and look for her!" She jerked to the side, dodging Carter.

            "It's not that. I want you to be here for Riley, too."

            At the sound of his words, Abby stopped. He was right. She needed to think about Riley too. But he was safe right now; it was Jill who needed rescuing. But was there really anything she could do that would bring her home sooner?

            Abby closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "You're right. I'm gonna go and talk to Riley."

______________________________________________________________________

            "Hello?"

            Abby wasn't as quick getting to the phone now; she didn't have any reason to be. So it was Carter who answered at the end of the second ring.

            "I have Jill. Drop off fifty thousand dollars in the trash can behind the deli on forty-fifth street if you ever want to see Jill again." 

            "What?" Carter said, confused. He realized that the caller had hung up. 

            He slowly replaced the handset. What was he supposed to do now?

            When the phone rang twenty seconds later, he picked it up automatically. "Hello?"

            "Doctor Carter? This is Sergeant Mills. We got the call, and we wanted to tell you: _don't do anything. We're pretty sure that call was a fake. This is just some guy who heard about you on the news and is trying to capitalize on your misfortune."_

            "What?" Carter said. So much had happened in the past minute. What was going on?

            "The caller sounded nervous, unsure of himself. We're pretty sure it was a hoax." When Carter didn't respond, he added, "He doesn't have your daughter."

            "Okay," Carter said, but in the back of his mind, he thought, What if he does?

            "Who was that?" Abby asked anxiously, coming down the stairs.

            Carter turned to face her. He didn't want to get her hopes up, but he couldn't keep this from her. "A man just called and said he had Jill. The cops called right after him and said it was a hoax."

            Abby only seemed to have heard the first part of his statement. "He has Jill," she said quietly. "What did he want?"

            "Fifty thousand dollars. But the cops said he doesn't have her."

            "But what if he does?"

            Carter shook his head. "They're cops; they should know."

            Abby looked at him in amazement. "You just don't want to pay the money, do you?"

            Carter stared at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious," he said.

            "Of course I'm serious! You just don't want to part with the money unless you have a guarantee that it will get you something! Isn't it worth the risk to get your daughter back?"

            "Abby, this is ridiculous. _He doesn't have her. The cops said so." He reached out a hand towards her._

            Abby snatched her arm away from him. "This is our _daughter, _Carter. Even if it's not much of a chance, we have to try." Abby was begging at this point. She could feel Jill slipping from her grasp. Why wouldn't Carter help her get her back?

            "Abby, there's no chance. He doesn't have her. He's just some jerk trying to make a buck!"

            Abby shook her head at him. "I can't believe you. I can't believe you're not willing to take a chance, any chance, to get Jill back." She pursed her lips. "I don't know why I expect anything more than that from you; you barely even know them, how could you care about them?" Her words were laced with bitterness. 

            "Fine," she said, voice trembling. "Keep your money. I'll rescue my own daughter. I don't need you."

            Carter was bewildered. "Abby, what are you _talking_ about? Of course I care about the kids! I want Jill back just as much as you do! But we have to be reasonable. Anyone can call us and say they have Jill. The police are experts in this kind of thing; don't you think we should take their word when they say it's a hoax?"

            Abby was near tears. "No, I don't. I think we should do whatever we have to to get her back." Abby knew at this point that she was being unreasonable, but how could she ignore this? A man had called and said he had Jill; how could she not pursue this?

            "Well, what do you want to do?" Carter asked.

            "I want to _go where he asked us to go and see if he's there. I want to __try," Abby said in a weak voice. _

            She squeezed her eyes shut. "I just don't want to do the wrong thing," she said quietly. "I know it's probably nothing, but please, we have to try."

            Carter nodded slowly. "Okay," he said. "I'll go there, see if I see anything."

            "Thank you," Abby whispered.

            "You don't have to thank me, Abby," he reminded her. "She's my daughter too."


	30. Turbulence

Chapter 30

            He wondered if the note was for him. 

            When he picked it up, he was that it was.

            _Abby change of plans go to the airport message for you at desk._

            Carter frowned at the note. Why the change in plans? Did the man know that the cops were onto him?

            But he reasoned that the airport would be safe. It wasn't like he was going to a deserted alley or something.

            Pocketing the note, Carter headed for the airport.

____________________________________________________________

            "Message for Abby Wyczenski?"

            "Abby what?" asked the girl at the counter, cracking her gum.

            "Wyczenski." The girl looked at him blankly. "W-Y-C-Z-E-N-S-K-I," he spelled out. He was reminded of when Jill had spelled the name for him, the first day he saw them in the hospital, and a wave of sadness overcame him.

            "You're Abby?" the girl asked, amused, making no effort to retrieve the note.

            "Look, could I just have the note?" Carter snapped. The smile slid off her face, and she handed the note over without a word. "Thank you."

            He flipped it open, and a plane ticket fell out. _Abby come here on the plane if you ever want to see Jill again._

            Carter frowned as he studied the ticket. It was a flight to Los Angeles that left in two hours; if he wanted to go, he needed to make up his mind.

            But was it safe? He would be in a strange city, alone, at the beck and call of a deranged kidnapper. But if he didn't go, he might be signing Jill's death warrant. Could he afford to take that risk?

            He headed for the gate.

______________________________________________________

            Abby's fingers drummed on the table nervously. Where the heck was Carter? He had promised to phone in and tell her how things were going, but so far, she hadn't heard a word. Was he okay?

            Losing patience, Abby picked up the phone and dialed his cell number. She threw it down in frustration when his voicemail message came on. He didn't have his phone on! 

            "Mommy? What's wrong?"

            Abby turned her head to see Riley standing behind her. "I thought you were asleep, honey," she said softly.

            Riley walked over to the sofa and sat in her lap. "I miss Jill," he said sadly. "I can't sleep in the room all by myself. Is she gonna come home soon?"

            "I hope so, Riley. I hope so," Abby said, holding on tightly to Riley. Right now, all she could do was hope. Hope and wait for Carter to call her.

________________________________________________________

            "So, what brings you to Los Angeles? Or LA, as the kids say." The man chuckled at his own joke.

            Carter gritted his teeth in annoyance. It wasn't anything personal; he just didn't want to talk. His daughter was missing and he didn't feel like cracking jokes with a strange, chuckling businessman. So he ignored the question.

            "Me, I'm here to see my daughter," he said, as if Carter has asked why he was going. "Can't wait. Been almost five years." Carter didn't respond. The man shifted him large body and finally managed to get out of the seat and grab a package from the overheard compartments. "It's my laptop computer," he said, once again answering a question that hadn't been asked. "Using it to email my daughter. You can send one too, if you want to."

            Carter shook his head. "No thanks," he said, but it reminded him of something else he needed to do. Picking up the phone, he dialed his own number. He knew it would cost a fortune to call from the airplane, but he had forgotten to check in with Abby before he left.

            "Hello?" She answered on the first ring, and he realized with guilt that she had probably been waiting by the phone.

            "It's me."

            "Where have you been? Why didn't you call earlier? Where are you?" He could hear the worry in her tone. 

            "I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm on a plane."

            "What? Why?"

            "It was in the note. Going to LA."

            Abby was silent for a moment. "Okay," she said slowly, trying to processes the flood of information she had just been given. "Call me if you hear anything new, okay?"

            "I will. How's Riley doing?" 

            "He misses Jill. I do too. God, I hope this works."

            "Me too."

            "Okay, make sure you call me. In a couple of hours, even if nothing new happens, just let me know you're okay, alright?"

            "Okay. I'll talk to you in a couple of hours."

            "Okay. Bye."

            "Bye."

            As Carter hung up the phone, he wondered; had Abby actually sounded worried about _him? It sounded like it. Did he have something to worry about?_

            Carter leaned back on the headrest. In a few hours, he would know whether this was real or not.

_______________________________________________________________________

            When Carter woke up, there was confusion everywhere. _What's going on?_ he wondered groggily as flight attendants ran down the aisle in panic.

            Hmm, guess the plane in crashing. The plane is crashing?!?

            Carter jumped from his seat, and realized that the plane was not crashing.          

            "Please, sir, take your seat," said a harried flight attendant.

            _We are experiencing turbulence. Would every passenger please remain in their seat and fasten their seat belt_, said the announcement.

            "Boy, that announcement sure is annoying, isn't it?" asked his jovial seat mate at he sat back down. "They've played it, what, seven times now? Don't they think we know to fasten our seat belts?" The man chuckled for no apparent reason at he attempted to stretch the belt across his bulging mass. 

            Carter shakily buckled his seat belt. The plane felt more like a wild bronco, trying to buck off its hundreds of passengers. A woman in the front row was screaming, talking about how she didn't want to die. Carter shook his head. Didn't she realize she was scaring her children?

            An hour later, all of them were screaming. But by then, it was too late. All they saw was the ground as they plummeted towards it.

_________________________________________________________________________

            She dialed the phone again. "Pick up, Carter," she urged. She felt like screaming with frustration when, once again, she got his voice mail. Once again, she left a message.

            "Carter, it's me. _Jill is safe. She's right here with me. Call me back as soon as you get this message." She hung up. Sighing, she drummed her fingers on the table. Why hadn't he turned on his cell phone?_


	31. Jill's Side Of The Story

Chapter 31

            Jill woke up in confusion. _Where am I? she wondered._

            Slowly her memory came back to her. She had asked the bad man to take her outside, and he was the nice one so he had. Then, she had run away from him, and run and run until she couldn't anymore. She grinned when she remembered him trying to catch up with her. She had been too fast for him. But where was she now?

            She had fallen asleep on the ground because she was tired. But now, she wanted to go home and see Mommy and Daddy. She got up, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and started walking.

            There were no other people around; maybe it was too early. She stopped in front of a street sign and slowly picked out the letters on it. E, L, M...wait a minute, she recognized this street!

            A broad grin came to Jill's face, as she ran down the street at full speed.

_____________________________________________________________________

            He was going to die. They were all going to die.

            The realization hit Carter like a load of bricks. He didn't want to die. What about Jill, what about Riley, what about Abby?

            _Abby!_ He needed to call her! He picked up the phone, but heard only static. Of course. People who were dying didn't need to use the phone.

            He turned towards the seat next to him and realized that it was empty. At least, there was no one sitting in it. His seatmate had run off and left his laptop, still on and working.

            With a furtive glance, Carter slid into the man's seat and opened the laptop. Would the email still work? Carter had no idea, but it might. This might be the last chance he would ever have to contact Abby. 

            What should he say? Whatever he wanted to say, he would have to say it fast. The pilot was still assuring them that everything was going to be fine, but they all could tell that it wasn't. He didn't have much time. Hunching over the computer, Carter began to type.

____________________________________________________________________

            Susan closed her eyes as she worked the lather into her hair. Ah, that was nice. She knew it was worth it to buy the expensive shampoo. Her hair felt better already.

            As she rinsed the rich, sweet smelling lather out of her hair, she thought she heard the phone ringing. Poking her head out from behind the curtain, she held her breath as she listened for a ring. After several seconds, she realized that it must have just been her imagination. With a sigh, she stuck her head back into the shower and readjusted the curtain.

            She wondered how Carter and Abby were doing. They were probably frantic with worry; she couldn't imagine how she would feel if her child was kidnapped. 

            It had been three days now, and still, no word from the kidnapper. Last time she had seen Abby, she looked awful. Bags under her eyes, face creased with worry, Susan could tell she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since her children were taken. And she probably wouldn't until Jill was safe at home.

            Susan wished there was more she could do to help. She knew how awful Carter and Abby must be feeing right now. 

            Susan's reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door. Normally, she would ignore someone at the door if she was in the shower. But since the twins' disappearance, she had felt like she should answer the door ever time someone knocked. She knew it was unlikely, but what if someone showed up at her door with news of the twins? That was more important than finishing her shower. So she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and walked towards the living room.

            "I'm coming!" she yelled in response to the rapid knocking at the door. Whoever it was, it must be something important. She quickened her pace, and flung open the door as soon as she got to it.

            Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that awaited her there.

            "_JIll?!?" _she said in shock, staring at the little girl standing in her doorway. What in the world was Jill doing at her house?

            "Aunt Susan!" Jill said eagerly, wrapping her arms around Susan's legs.

            "H-how did you get here?" Susan asked, still recovering from the shock.

            "I ran away from the bad man! Can we go home now?"

            Susan looked down at Jill's eager face, and it finally dawned on her that Jill was really here, and she was safe. A smile came to her lips. "I'll call and see if they're home," she responded.

            "Where's the kitchen? I'm hungry!" Susan pointed towards the kitchen, and Jill went to work on a bowl of pasta.

            Susan called Carter's house, but got a busy signal. _Hmm, they must be on the phone,_ she thought. So she called his cell phone, but got his voicemail. After leaving a short message, she hung up.

            "I can't believe this," she thought aloud. "Jill is safe, but Carter didn't even bother to turn on his phone so he could find out!"

            She dialed the phone again. "Pick up, Carter," she urged. She felt like screaming with frustration when, once again, she got his voice mail. Once again, she left a message.

            "Carter, it's me. _Jill is safe. She's right here with me. Call me back as soon as you get this message." She hung up. Sighing, she drummed her fingers on the table. Why hadn't he turned on his cell phone?_

            Running into her bedroom, she threw on a t-shirt and pair of jeans. This was no time for fashion. Grabbing her keys, she said, "C'mon Jill, I'm taking you home."

_______________________________________________________________

            Riley sat on the porch, listlessly playing with a pair of toy cars. He was bored. It just wasn't as much fun playing without Jill. When would she come home?

            A familiar car pulled up into the driveway. "Hi, Aunt Susan," he said half-heartedly as Susan got out of the car. He wondered why she went to the back door of the car instead of walking up the driveway, but he soon found out.

            "JILL!" he screamed as his long-lost sister emerged from the car. Dropping his toys, he raced down the steps at full speed.

            "JILL!" When Abby heard the exclamation, she felt a wave of sadness. Poor Riley. He missed Jill so much; it didn't seem right for the two of them to be apart.

            Abby was heading into the kitchen to make lunch when she heard, "Mommy! Jill's here!"

            Abby's heart leapt with hope. Was it possible? Could this be true? It seemed impossible that Jill would show up on their doorstep, but right now Abby was ready to believe anything. With bated breath, Abby raced out the door, and saw-

            "JILL!" 


	32. The Letter

Chapter 32

            This couldn't be real. It seemed like a dream.

            Abby's hand reached out to touch Jill. She was really here. She was okay. "Jill-" Abby said. Her voice cut off, unable to respond. Her arms wrapped around her daughter. "Are you okay?" she asked, stroking Jill's hair.

            Jill smiled and nodded. "I ran away from the bad man," she said proudly. 

            Abby smiled and laughed. "We're finally all together again," she said happily. She motioned Riley towards her and gathered them both in her arms. Her children were finally safe. For the first time in days, she could rest easy.

            "But where's Daddy?" Jill asked, confused.

            Abby suddenly remembered Carter. He was still on the plane to Los Angeles!

            "What?" asked Susan, noticing the alarm on Abby's face.

            "I have to call Carter," she said.

            "I wanna talk to Daddy!" Jill said.

            "Me too!" Riley exclaimed.

            Abby smiled widely. "We can all talk to him," she said. "C'mon, let's go inside." Holding their hands, she walked back into the house. Things were finally going well.

____________________________________________________________

            The plane crashed.

____________________________________________________________

            Abby frowned. "I can't call into the airplane phone," she said. "And his cell's still off."

            "I don't think you can call into airplane phones," Susan told her. "You might have to wait until he calls you."

            "I guess so," Abby said resignedly. "But I want to tell him the good news! Jill's okay!"

            Jill hopped into Abby's lap. "Where did Daddy go?" she asked.

            "He went on a little trip, but he'll be back soon."

            Jill nodded contentedly. "Good, cause I want to see him."

            The phone rang, and for once, Abby didn't race to answer it. The kids were okay now; what was the hurry? She moseyed over to the phone and answered after the second ring. "Hello? Yes, it is...well, Jill's back!...I know!...okay...yeah, I'd like to see it anyway...okay, hold on, lemme see." She held her hand over the receiver. "Do you know if Carter has a fax in here anywhere?" she asked Susan. Susan shrugged. Abby got back on the phone. "No, I don't...okay, yeah...I can give you the address..."

            Meanwhile, Jill had gone into the kitchen to get a snack. She returned with a bag of potato chips in time to see Abby hang up the phone. "Who was that?" Susan asked, digging her hand into the bag of chips. She hadn't had any breakfast, and she was hungry.

            "It was the cops. They said they were going to fax me the news report about the kidnapping, but they're just going to e-mail it to me since Carter doesn't appear to have a fax. Imagine not having a fax in a fancy place like this!" Abby said cheerily, sitting down at the computer desk. She was almost giddy with relief. Jill and Riley were finally both safe, and she could rest easy. She couldn't wait to tell Carter the good news!

            "News report? I haven't seen it," Susan said.

            "Me neither." She turned on Carter's computer. "It should be here any minute now."

            "Can me and Riley play on the computer?" Jill asked. 

            "In a minute. I have to check something first," Abby said.

            "Is it here?" Susan asked, crowding the computer.

            Abby raised her eyebrows. "You mind if I log on first?" she joked, typing in her password.

            Susan smiled. The change in Abby was amazing. Jill had only been home for five minutes, and already she was cracking jokes. The kids being missing had really taken a toll on her. But now, it was like she was back to normal.

            _Dean Joseph Amos and Scott Amos arrested for kidnapping,_ was the subject of the first e-mail in her inbox. Wow, that was fast, she thought. She was about to click it when she noticed another message.

            Abby frowned. "What's this?" she asked curiously. It was from an unfamiliar address, yet in the subject line, it said _Abby. _Out of curiosity, she opened the email.

            As she read the email, all the color drained out of Abby's face. "What's wrong?" Susan asked, alarmed at the change in her face. Susan bent over and read over Abby's shoulder.

            "Oh, my God," Susan breathed as she read the email. This couldn't be real.

_Abby i think the Plane is about to crash we are going through Turbulence. I am soory that i was not able to rescue jill and i hope she will be okay. i am so sorry that things had to end like this i just wanted you to know that i love you and i never Meant to hurt you.please tell the Kids that i love them and im sorry i didnt get to spent more time with them.i want you and the kids to stay in the house i know it is not in my will but hopefully my parents will respect my wishes when they see this letter. goodbye and please take good care of the kids but i know you will. i love you._

_John_

            For a moment, Abby didn't say anything. She read the email, then she read it again. Her mouth hung open in shock.

            "This...this has to be some kind of sick joke," she said, her voice trembling. She scrolled up to the top of the email. "How would he be able to send this from a crashing plane anyway?"

            Susan bit her lip. "Maybe if he used a messenger phone-"

            "He didn't have a messenger phone!" Abby yelled, losing her cool. Just when it seemed like things were perfect, now...it looked like they weren't.

            "Maybe it's a joke. Maybe it's from the guy who sent him on this wild goose chase," Susan suggested, trying to grab on to any strand of hope.

            Abby nodded eagerly. "Yeah, it's probably from him."  She grabbed the phone book. "We have to find out what flight Carter was on. Maybe he's in LA right now, and all this worrying is for nothing."

_________________________________________________________________

            "Carter? John Carter?" Abby shifted the phone to her other ear. "Yes, I'll hold."

            "Mommy, Mommy, I wanna go to the park!" Jill said.

            "Me too!" said Riley.

            "Not now, guys. I have an important phone call to make."

            "I can take them," Susan offered, but Jill shook her head.

            "We want to stay here with Mommy," Jill declared, and Riley nodded in agreement. "We can play dolls, Mommy!" Jill suggested.

            "Okay, but I'm making an important phone call right now, honey. Just let me finish this, then I'll play with you." An hour ago, she couldn't have imagined putting off playing with Jill for _any_ reason. But now, Carter's safety took first priority.            

            "Yes, hello? Oh, you don't? Well, how about Abby Wyczenski? Yeah, that's W-Y-C-Z-E-N-S-K-I. Yes, I'll hold."

            "Nothing for Carter?" Susan asked.

            "No, but I just realized that maybe in was in my name and- oh, hello? Oh, you don't? Okay, thank you. Goodbye." Abby hung up the phone and crossed off a name from the list. "Fourteen to go." With a sigh, she picked up the phone and dialed again.

            Susan sat down on the sofa and closed her eyes. She didn't open them until she heard Abby say, "You _did?"_

            Eyes now open, she flew across the room and stood next to Abby, listening to her end of the conversation. "When was it?...did it..._oh." Her voice dropped, and she squeezed her eyes shut. _

            That one word said it all. Before Abby even hung up the phone, Susan knew what had happened. "It crashed, didn't it?"

            Wordlessly, Abby nodded her head. "They have search parties looking for it. They said it went off radar somewhere in Arizona." Abby bit her lip.

            "I'm so sorry Abby," Susan said quietly.

            "So I am." Abby was quiet for a moment. Then, in a voice so low Susan could barely hear it, she said, "What if he's...dead?"

_________________________________________________________________

            "I made him go."

            "What?" Susan asked, confused.

            "He didn't want to go, and the cops said that it was a hoax, but I...I told him he didn't care about Jill, that if she was really important to him he would take any chance to get her back." Abby looked down. "If I hadn't, he'd still be alive."

            Susan walked over to Abby and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, Abby. Besides, we don't even know if he's dead. He might be fine."

            Abby shook her head. "He's not _fine, Susan. People who get it plane crashes don't end up _fine_." She sighed. "I'm so worried, Susan. I just wish I knew if he was okay." Abby got a strange feeling of deja-vu. Hadn't she said that phrase before?_

            "How soon will they know?" Susan asked.

            Abby shrugged. "I don't know. They wouldn't tell me anything. They just said they would call me if they got any new information." She shook her head. "I'm gonna go check on the kids. Answer the phone if it rings, okay?" Susan nodded, and Abby headed upstairs.


	33. The Survivors

A/N: As **carbyfan** so kindly reminded me, I did promise a happy ending for this story, and from the very beginning I had every intention of delivering one. Just stick around, folks. And **LTDan****, yes, I am in my right mind. At least the men in white coats said so… **

Chapter 33

            "Good night, Mommy."

            "Good night, Jill. Good night, Riley," Abby said, bending over to kiss Jill on the forehead. Jill was finally home. That was all she had been hoping for for days. But now, Jill was here, and she couldn't enjoy it. Because Carter was gone.

            He had given up his life for Jill. They had both known that it was fruitless pursuing this lead, that this man was a fraud. But Abby had been so persistent about it, he had agreed to do it, knowing he was wasting his time. And he had died in the process.

            "Are the kids okay?" 

            Abby jumped. She had almost forgotten that Susan was still there, but there she was, standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a worried expression on her face. Abby nodded in response to Susan's question. "They don't know anything's wrong," she said quietly. Susan nodded.

            "I shouldn't have made him go," Abby whispered. "We both knew it wasn't real, but I ignored that because I was so desperate to have Jill back. I guilted him into going. I told-" Abby paused for a moment, gathering herself. "I told him that he didn't love her, that all he cared about was protecting his money." Abby bowed her head in shame. "I can't believe I said that."

            "You were worried about Jill; you weren't acting like yourself. You just wanted to do whatever you needed to to get her back. How _could _you have ignored that phone call, no matter what the cops said?" Susan motioned Abby over to the table, and they both sat down. "You did what you should have done; investigated the lead. It's not your fault the plane crashed."

            "He shouldn't have been on the plane in the first place. I shouldn't have made him go."

            "Abby, you didn't_ make him do anything. Carter is a grown man; the reason he went on that plane was because he loves Jill, and was willing to take risks to get her back."_

            "And now he's dead for it," Abby said, covering her face in her hands, unwilling to let Susan see her cry. "Carter died trying to save Jill. All I did was sit here and tell him what a terrible father he was. He was a _great_ father, but now he's not anything."

            "Stop it!" Susan yelled in a voice that startled Abby out of her tears. "Stop talking about him in the past tense. We don't know anything yet. For all we know, he could be picking up the phone right now to call and tell you that he's alright." They both stared at the phone for a moment, as if Susan's statement would make it ring.

            "But this isn't your fault, Abby. Carter should've been on that plane, trying to save Jill. It was the right thing to do; the plane crash was just a freak accident." Seeing the look on Abby's face, she said, "But don't give up on him yet, Abby. He's not dead yet."

            Abby closed her eyes. "I won't," she said quietly.

______________________________________________________________

            Mario looked grimly at the men standing in from of him. "It's a bad one," he said. "Let's try and get out all the people in coach before we work on the bodies in first class."

            Jeff gulped. "Bodies in first class?" he said, gazing at the crumpled front section of the plane. He knew being a firefighter was going to be exciting, but he had never imagined a plane crash on his very first day!

            Mario nodded. "If there's anybody alive in first class, it'll be in the very back. Everyone in the front is dead. We need to make an opening in the luggage compartment, and from there we can crawl into coach. We have to hurry, because it looks like one of the fuel tanks might have been punctured."

             Jeff nodded and climbed up the side of the plane as Mario turned to direct the rest of the crew. Jeff could see faces in the windows of the plane. How many of them were alive?

            "Okay boss, we got it open!" yelled one of the men at the top. He heard grunting, then a gurney was lowered to the men closer to the bottom. Jeff braced himself as the first of the survivors emerged from the plane.

________________________________________________________________

            Bruce hated his job.

            Everyone hated his job, but someone had to do it. This time, it was Bruce's turn. 

            With a heavy hand, he switched the phone to his other ear. "Yes, Mrs. Gray, I understand. I'm very sorry about your loss."

            "But Jamie and I just got married. We were supposed to go on our honeymoon as soon as he got home-" she was unable to go on, her body racked with sobs.

            "I'm sorry, Mrs. Gray," he repeated mechanically. He had recited the instructions so many times, but he didn't think anyone actually listened to them. They were still too grief-stricken to make sense of them. He could still hear her crying as he hung up the phone.

            Bruce replaced the handset and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to forget the horror of the day. After a moment, he opened them, and crossed the name _James Gray off the list. It was so sad. All these young kids who had died in the plane crash, and now he had to deliver the horrible news. _

            At first, things had looked normal. There were many who had not made it, but there were also plenty of survivors. In the beginning, they had actually thought that they might be able to save most of the passengers.

            That was before the fuel tank exploded.

            They had only gotten about twenty people out when the blast knocked them to their feet. Several firefighters had died in the blaze, because it had come on so suddenly. All the passengers in first class had died, and so had many in coach.

            Bruce's hands gripped the list, the list of lives that had been snuffed out way too soon. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to deliver any more pain, to dash the hopes of any more families. But it was his job.

            Bruce looked at the next name on the list. _Jonathan Carter._ Sighing wearily, he dialed the next number.

________________________________________________________________

            Abby slowly replaced the phone. She stood there for a minute, her eyes squeezed shut. This couldn't be happening. 

            Despondent, she walked up the stairway. Her feet felt like they were anchored to cement blocks, and the stairway seemed endless.

            She stopped in the doorway of Jill and Riley's room. They were sitting on the floor, playing with their toys. They were happy to be back together. They thought their lives were perfect now.

            She wanted to take them in her arms, to comfort them. But they didn't even know anything was wrong; why worry them unnecessarily? And if she went in their room like this, she herself frantic with worry, she would only make them panic.

            So she stood in the doorway, watching them play. 

            Did they know? Did they have any idea that they might not see their father again, the father they had just discovered they had? Did they have the slightest inkling that the new lives they had just gotten used to might be snatched away?

            Carter. He had died trying to save Jill. She herself had stayed home and complained about how little he was doing. She wished she had gotten a chance to thank him.

            She had never told him what a great dad he was, how good he was with the kids. She had never told him how important he was to the kids. She had never told him how important he was to her.

            She thought of the fun times they had had together. Playing with the kids, dancing at Chen's party. In Atlanta, she hadn't had any friends like him. Even though in four years she had never allowed herself to admit it, she had missed him. And it was nice to see him again.

            But it was over now. No more running away from each other, no more not speaking to each other, no more fighting and making up. No more anything. He was gone, and he was gone because of her.

            "Abby?"

            Abby was snapped out of her reverie by Susan's voice. She looked up, and realized that this wasn't the first time she had called her name. "What?"

            "What are you doing?" Susan asked curiously.

            "Um, just watching the kids," she said quietly.

            Susan studied Abby for a moment, almost as intently as Abby was studying the kids. Something was wrong here.

            "Are you okay?" Susan asked, concerned. Abby looked tired, worried.

            "Not really," Abby admitted, leaning against the doorframe. "Thinking about Carter."

            Susan shook her head. "Don't torture yourself, Abby. Don't give up hope until you have a reason to."

            Susan meant for her words to be encouraging, but they had the exact opposite effect. Abby's eyes closed, and her hands went to her face. A half-hearted whimper escaped from her lips, then she was silent.

            "What's wrong?" Susan asked, panicked. She hadn't expected that response. "Abby, what's the matter?"

            "The plane- blew- up," Abby mumbled, gulping quickly, trying to keep her emotions in check.

            Susan's eyes widened. "_What?" she exclaimed, then remembered that the kids were right there, and might be able to hear them. In a quieter voice, she asked, "Wha-what do you mean? How do you know?"_

            "They called me. They said only a few people got out before it blew up, and they haven't been able to identify them yet."

            "Oh my God. Do they- do they know? If he was...one of them?"

            Abby shook her head. "They don't. They said they'd call me when they found out. But only a few people survived-"

            "How many people?" she asked.

            "Twenty-six."

            Susan appeared to be thinking. "Well, maybe the airline can't identify him, but we can. The survivors must be in the hospital, right? And if we go to the hospital, we can settle this. We can see for ourselves if Carter is...okay." She changed the end of the sentence just in time. Why not put a positive spin on things?

            Abby's head snapped up. Susan was right! What was her problem? She was sitting here moping instead of actually trying to find out if Carter was okay!

            For the first time in days, Abby felt a glimmer of hope. It was unwarranted, because just going to the site of the plane crash couldn't bring him back from the dead. But it was something. It was better than sitting here wondering.

            With a sudden burst of energy, she said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to Arizona!"


	34. Blast From The Past

Chapter 34

            "Where are we going, Mommy?"

            Abby tried to keep her voice calm. "We're going on a train ride. Won't that be fun?"

            Jill nodded eagerly. "I've never been on a train!" she exclaimed.

            As Abby stuffed the twins' clothes into a suitcase, she wondered what they would find when they got to Los Angeles. Would Carter be okay? Would his body be piled up with a bunch of other unidentified corpses, waiting for someone to come and claim him? Would he be burned beyond recognition from the fire?

            _Stop it,_ she told herself silently. Stop thinking the worst. She looked down at the kids, who were chatting happily, not knowing that anything was wrong. She would believe the best, for them.

            Her packing was interrupted by a knock at the door. That must be Susan, she thought. Susan, good friend that she was, had insisted on going with them. Abby had told her that she didn't have to come, but secretly she was relieved that she wasn't going to have to face this alone. What would be more horrible than being stranded in a strange city with her two children and a dead body?

            _STOP IT!_ she yelled at herself. She had to stop thinking like this! Carter could be alive and well, and she made up her mind not to think of him as dead until she had a reason to. Another knock at the door reminded her that Susan was still standing outside. She went to answer the door, and flung it open, assuming that Susan could be the only one at the door.

            It was not Susan.

            "What are you doing here?" Abby asked, surprised to see him. She wasn't sure how she felt about him right now. Mad? Disappointed? Embarrassed? Suspicious?  She had put her feelings about him aside; she had more important things to deal with. Like trying to undo all the damage he had caused.

            "I…I wanted to give you this." Eric sounded nervous, unsure of himself. He sounded like he was talking to a stranger, and a hostile stranger at that.

            Abby took the paper he extended towards her, suddenly feeling bad. After all, he was the only brother she had; she hadn't so much as visited him in the hospital, except to ask him about the twins. Apparently he was out now, but she wouldn't know. She was his sister; she could have at least checked up on him. But I was worried about the twins, then about Carter! she argued with herself. 

            Abby unfolded the paper, and immediately recognized it. _Wyczenski, Eric. Report of blood toxicity-_

_            Abby looked up at him. "You didn't have to do this, Eric," she said._

            Eric shook his head. "Yes, I did. You don't trust me; you have no reason to. I just wanted to show you, I wasn't lying about the meds. That paper says so; you can see, all my levels are exactly where they're supposed to be. And I'm sorry about the kids. I'm sorry I took them to the park without telling you; I know it was a really dumb thing to do. I hope-" Eric's voice broke. "I hope they're going to be okay."

            Abby suddenly realized that Eric didn't know that they were okay! "Eric, They're fine! They came home!" Her face had broken into a grin without her even realizing it.

            Eric's jaw dropped. "Really? So you mean everything's okay now?"

            Abby suddenly remembered that everything was indeed not okay, and the smile slid off her face. "No, not quite. Carter he...went to L.A. looking for Jill. His plane crashed."

            "Oh, god. Do you know if…he's okay?"

            Abby shook her head. "Susan and I, we're going there to find out."

            "I'll go with you," Eric said quickly.

            "It's okay, Eric. We'll be fine."

            "I know." Eric looked down. "I just wanted to help. I feel like I've done enough damage already."

            "It's okay, really," Abby said, reaching out to put an arm around his shoulder. "This wasn't your fault."

            But Eric shook his head. "Yes it is. If I hadn't taken the twins to the park, you wouldn't be in this whole mess. I'm so sorry, Abby."

            Abby slowly nodded her head. "Okay," she said. "But right now, I need to go find out about Carter."

______________________________________________________________

            "The worst of this is over, right?" She paused, waiting for his response. "Tell me we're gonna be okay," she said in a quiet voice, begging him for reassurance.

            For one long moment, their eyes locked. Abby felt like she was falling into his gaze. She wanted to collapse into his lap, to feel his strong arms encircling her.

            She realized he was moving towards her. She realized she was moving towards him.

            When their lips touched, Abby's eyes closed, and she almost dropped the ice pack that she held against his neck. She had been waiting so long for this. It felt so good to be kissing him.

            When he pulled away, she could almost _feel_ the disappointment, like an icicle lodged in her throat. What she he going to say? Was he going to tell her it had all been a mistake, that he didn't feel the way she did?

            "We're gonna be okay," he said, standing up, never losing eye contact with her. Her heart pounded when she realized that he was moving towards her again.

            His lips touched hers. Her eyes closed, and she knew: this was what she had been waiting for her whole life. _He was what she had been waiting for._

            Abby woke up.   

            _Carter._ He was gone. She wanted to see him so badly, it hurt. She could_ still feel his body next to hers, pulling her closer. She could still feel his lips against hers. She closed her eyes and tries to stay in the dream for one more second._

            She had forgotten. She had forgotten what it was like to be it love with Carter, to think about him every second of every day. She had never loved anyone else like that; would she ever again?

            It had been so easy to forget him, to stay mad at him instead of thinking of how much she missed him. Anger was what had kept her away for four years. But she wasn't angry anymore.

            After all these years, and all these times telling herself that she would never forgive him, she still loved him. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She wanted that back; the feeling of being safe and secure in his arms. She wanted to be loved again.

            But was it too late? Had she already lost her last chance with Carter? She prayed she hadn't. She promised herself that, if she could, somehow, just get one more chance, she wouldn't waste it. She would tell him how much he meant to her. If he didn't feel the same, it would hurt, but she had to tell him. That is, if she got the chance to.

___________________________________________________

            "Choo-choo! Chugga chugga chugga chugga. That's the sound a train makes!" Jill happily informed them.

            Susan raised her eyebrows. "Really? I always thought it made more of a mooing sound," she said. Jill and Riley both laughed.

            "When are we gonna get there, Mommy?" Riley asked, tugging on Abby's shirt. "Mommy?"

            "Abby?" Susan said, noticing that Abby wasn't answering him.

            "Oh; what?" Abby said, snapping to attention. But Jill and Riley had already turned their attention to the scenery that was whizzing by.

            "You okay, Abby?" Susan asked gently. 

            Abby shrugged. "Guess I'm just dreading whatever we're gonna find out there. I just want to get it over with. Whatever happens is gonna happen; I just hate being in suspense like this."

            Susan nodded sympathetically. "How long has it been since you called them?" she asked.

            Abby checked her watch. "Almost an hour. Guess it's time for me to call again. Watch the kids?" Susan nodded in agreement, and Abby got up from her seat to make the phone call.

            As she trudged to the back of the train she wondered, what would it mean? What would happen if she discovered that Carter was indeed dead? Would she feel guilty for the rest of her life for letting him get on the plane?

            Her fingers methodically punched the buttons. She might never get to tell him that she was sorry. She might never get to thank him for being a great dad for the month he had known he was one, for being so nice to her after she kept his children away from him all these years. Se might never get to tell him how she really felt about him. Carter was a great guy, and she had never appreciated him. 

            The phone stopped ringing, and once again, she got an office boy who couldn't tell her much of anything. Once again, she hung up the phone in frustration. In a few hours, she would know.

            She returned to her seat and discovered that Jill and Riley were asleep. "That was fast," she commented, taking her seat next to Susan.

            "Did they tell you anything?" Susan asked.

            "Just that they'll 'contact me as soon as more information becomes available'," Abby said, unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "This is so aggravating! I just want to know." Susan nodded in agreement.

            There was a moment of silence as they both contemplated what was waiting for them in Arizona. "Do you think he's gonna be okay?" Abby asked abruptly. Of course, Susan had no way of knowing what the outcome of their excursion would be, but Abby just wanted some reassurance, however false.

            "I hope so," Susan said, but she knew that the chances weren't good. 26 survivors out of 500? But she could still hope.

            "You know, even in his last moments he was thinking of us," Abby said wistfully. "From his email, you can tell that he knew the plane was gonna crash and he was probably going to die, but he took the time to write and tell me that me and the kids could stay in the house." Abby closed her eyes for a moment. 

            She thought of the first time she had ever seen Carter. They had had such a turbulent relationship, breaking up and making up; sponsoring each other and reporting each other. But he had always cared about her. And she had always cared about herself. He had thought about her, and so had she.

             Had she always been the selfish one in their relationship? She imagined him living in Chicago alone for four years, not even knowing about the family he had a thousand miles away. How could she have done that to him? She had kept the kids away from him for so long, and now it was too late. They would never get to know their father, and it was all because of her.

            What would she do differently, if she got another chance? Be more forgiving, more open? She would have told Carter about the kids sooner, for one thing. Right about now, she would be willing to promise just about _anything_ that would guarantee Carter's safety. She didn't want to have it hanging over her head for the rest of her life that he had died trying to save her daughter while she sat back and told him to try harder.

            Abby vowed to herself that if Carter was safe, she would put all her cards out on the table. She would apologize to him for leaving; she never really had. She would tell him how much he meant to her.

            "You okay, Abby?" Susan asked.

            Abby shook her head. "I'll be okay when I know that's he's alright," she said quietly.


	35. Mrs Carter

Chapter 35

            "Mr. Bruce? A Mrs. Carter is here."

            Bruce rubbed a weary hand over his eyes as he checked the survivors list. Yes, he remembered Mrs. Carter. She had taken it harder than all the others. Still, he was surprised to discover that she was here. He told her that she could have her husband's body shipped back home; why would she want to torture herself by seeing the crash site?

            But he would go and talk to her; it was his job. He would do everything he could to make her go home, to minimize her pain. "Send her in," Bruce said. Another grieving widow.

            Abby nervously walked in the room. She smoothed her hair. She adjusted her purse. She did everything she could to avoid talking to him. 

            Abby had spent the past day wishing that the train would speed up so she could find out Carter's fate. Now that she was here, it seemed too awful. She wanted to put it off for as long as she could, because if he was dead...there was no going back to hope. 

            Bruce was surprised. She had sounded a lot older on the phone; he had expected to see a woman who was at least fifty. But maybe he was remembering wrong. "Mrs. Carter, you know it was really not necessary for you to come here," he said, hoping she would leave as soon as possible.

            Abby had no idea why he was calling her Mrs. Carter, but she didn't correct him. It gave her a strange sort of comfort, to be called by Carter's name. Like Carter was here with her, in some bizarre way. "I just wanted to find out what happened to him."

            Bruce nodded. He shuffled the papers on his desk. "Well, his body is being held at the morgue in Phoenix until you tell us where you want it to be shipped."

            Abby froze. Had he just said what she thought he did? No, it couldn't be, it was too horrible. "He's...dead?" she whispered, fearing the answer but knowing she had to find out.

            Bruce nodded his head. Poor woman. He had told her when he called, but obviously she was too grief-stricken to remember. "Yes, ma'am, unfortunately the plane exploded and we were unable to save him." Bruce explained this slowly, as if he were talking to a two-year-old.

            So that was it. Carter was dead. The reality of the situation began to sink in. How had she let this happen?

            "I'm very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Carter," Bruce repeated mechanically. 

            Mrs. Carter. What a joke. She had never been Mrs. Carter; she never would be. She hadn't even been a real friend; all she had ever done was let him down. How had she let Carter go on that plane? She caused his death!

            Abby stood to her feet, but they felt like they were made of lead. "I've like to see him," she said woodenly, but she wouldn't like to see him. She didn't want to see his cold, lifeless body lying on a table like a slab of meat, to know that she had cut his life short by her carelessness. She didn't want to look at his eyes, eyes that would never see again. Carter was dead, and it was all her fault.

            How could she do this? How could she go back to the hotel and tell her kids that Daddy was dead, that they would never see him again?

            She couldn't. If she saw Carter's body in a drawer at a morgue, she would just run out on the morgue and keep running, and never have to tell anyone what a horrible thing she had done to a friend. How could she face them all, knowing that she was practically a murderer?

            No, she had to get a grip on herself. She couldn't go over the edge like this. Her children needed her, and the three of then would continue to live without Carter, just like they had before. They had to; they didn't have any choice.

            "Mrs. Carter?" Bruce repeated for the third time. Abby finally looked up. Bruce handed her a piece of paper. On it were directions to the morgue.

            "I'll call ahead and tell them you're coming," Bruce said.

            Abby nodded and left the room without so much as a thank you. She had wanted to put it off for as long as she could, but now, here it was staring her in the face. Carter was dead, and he had died trying to save Jill. What was she going to do when she saw his body?

            She didn't know how she would react, but she knew one thing. She had to go and see it.

_____________________________________________________________

            "Hello, Mrs. Carter. I'm John Smithe, the coroner. Mr. Bruce told me to be expecting you."

            Abby nodded quickly. She didn't have time for pleasantries. She just wanted to get this over with.

            Mr. Smithe led her down a long hall, and at the end of it was a glass-encased room. Inside the room was a table, and on the table was a body. It was covered by a sheet.

            This is it, Abby realized, her heart pounding with fear. She didn't want to do this; she didn't want to be here. But she had to. She had killed him, the least she could do was make sure he got a decent burial.

            Mr. Smithe was reciting some mundane instructions, but Abby didn't hear anything until he said, "Ok, are you ready?"

            Abby nodded apprehensively, but she was not ready; she never would be.

            Mr. Smithe entered the room and walked over to the body. He snapped the sheet off. 

            A thousand emotions hit Abby at once.

            An old, pasty man lay on the table. His flesh was weathered and wrinkled, and he was at least sixty years old. 

            It was not Carter.

            "It's not him," she said, slowly, wonderingly. Then louder, "It's not him!" her voice gaining confidence. It wasn't him! They had made a mistake. Maybe he was even alive!

            The coroner looked shocked. "Are you sure?" he asked. Abby nodded rapidly.

            The man checked the tag hanging off the man's big toe. "Jonathan T. Carter," he read aloud, then looked at Abby.

            "It's not him. That's not him. That's not even his name. His name is John, but it's not short for Jonathan. It's just John." Abby realized that she was rambling, but she was delirious with happiness. Was there some chance that Carter might actually be alive? 


	36. Room 321

Chapter 36

            Bruce was shocked. "Are you sure?" he asked nervously.

            "Of course I'm sure! It wasn't him!" Abby said gleefully. 

            She felt like doing a dance. She had no reason to believe that this meant Carter was actually alive, but at least this gave her some hope.

            Bruce was panicking. This was a lawsuit just waiting to happen. How had he managed to confuse the two John Carters that had been on the plane?

            "So what is his full name?" Bruce asked, opening his computer.

            "John Truman Carter III," Abby said. She never thought she would say the name again and feel anything but sadness. But now, she felt a different, strange emotion; she felt hope.

            Bruce tapped quickly on his computer. "There's no record of him being on the plane," he said despairingly. He always kept such neat records; how had this happened? "Mrs. Carter, I can't tell you how sorry I am about all this-"

            "So where is he?" Abby asked, abruptly cutting him off. She didn't have time for his apologies; she had to find Carter!

            "I...I don't know," Bruce finally had to admit. "We took all the survivors to Johnson Hospital, but there's no record of him being there."

            "All the survivors?" Abby asked quickly.

            Bruce nodded, then realized she couldn't see his head moving over the phone. "Yes. All the survivors. Well, expect for the three that weren't injured."

            Abby thought for a moment. Was it possible that Carter hadn't been injured at all? But if so, wouldn't he have called her and told her he was okay? Abby realized that she needed to go to the hospital for herself and see if he was there.

            "Thank you, Mr. Bruce. I'm going to the hospital." Abby hung up the phone.

__________________________________________________________

            The lie flowed so easily off her tongue now. "I'm looking for my husband, John Carter. He was in the plane crash. I can't find him." She knew they might not release information to her if they knew she wasn't actually related to Carter.

            The nurse gave a sympathetic nod, then scanned the list of survivors. "I'm sorry hon, I can't find him. Have you talked to Mr. Bruce?"

            Abby nodded her head. "He sent me here," She said. "Do you mind if I see the list?"

            The nurse handed it to her. "Just put it back on the counter when you're done," she said.

            Abby's eyes immediately flew to the C's section. She quickly scanned. _Cannon, Douglas. Carson, __Marion__. Carver, Tiffany. She didn't have to read it twice. He wasn't there._

            What should she do now? He wasn't at the morgue, he wasn't in the hospital. He _was_ on that plane, Abby knew that for sure, but what had happened to him after he got off it?

            Her eyes roamed the rest of the list. Maybe, somehow, they had put him out of order. She knew it was unlikely, but it was the only chance she had.

            _Trane__, Brian. Trane, Elizabeth. Truman, John._

_            Abby's heart skipped a beat when she read that name. She read it again, just to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. _Truman, John._ John Truman? Was it possible that somehow, is some strange way, the hospital had messed up his name?_

            Well, there was only one way to find out. She looked at the note next to the name. _Room 321. Dropping the chart on the counter, Abby raced for the stairs._

_______________________________________________________________________

            Abby was on a mission. The elevator was way too slow for her. As she bounded up the stairs three at a time, she asked herself, what would she do if Carter's _wasn't in that room? Where would she go from there?  _

            Well, she could deal with that when she got to it. Pushing that thought aside, Abby stepped onto the third floor.

            _Room 301._

            She raced down the hall, past nurses, people in wheelchairs, visitors. She didn't care about the strange looks they were giving her; she didn't care about the fact that she looked like an escaped psych patient. All she cared about was finding out if Carter was in that room.

            _Room 311._

            If he was, what would she do? What would she say? How would she react? Well, she was about to find out.

            _Room 321._

            Abby took a deep breath, then burst into the room. She saw two men lying on two beds. One was hooked up to a ventilator.

            She walked over to the first man, pushed the vent aside. At wasn't him. Taking a deep breath, she moved on. _One down, one to go._

            She walked over to the second bed, to the man who appeared to be sleeping. He had the covers pulled over his head, just like Carter liked to. Abby felt an apprehensive smile coming to her face. _What if? What if? What if? The questions kept pounding in her head._

            Well, she was about to answer them all. Steeling herself for whatever she mind find, she pulled down the sheet.


	37. The Man In The Bed

Chapter 37

            She stood by the bed, looking, looking at him and not quite believing it. Her hand reached out, slowly extending towards his face. 

            "Carter?" she said softly, questioning. Her hand touched his face. His eyes opened.

            "Hi, Abby," he said, his voice somewhat rough. Otherwise, he sounded normal. Like he had spent a peaceful night resting while she wandered the city looking for him. "The nurse was trying to call you."

            Abby stood by his bed, biting her lip. Was this real? After all her worries and fears, was he really okay, laying in a bed right next to her? She took his hand, squeezing it tightly, as if she was afraid that he would evaporate if she didn't hold on. 

            "Are you okay?" he asked her, looking into her eyes with concern.

            Abby shut her eyes tightly. "We thought you were dead, Carter," she said, bending over him, wrapping her arms around him. Her relief was almost tangible. "Oh God, I can't believe you're okay." She sniffled, rubbed his shoulders, patted his arms. She was acting like a fool, she knew, but for once she didn't care. Things were finally right again. After more than a week of frantic worry, of wondering if everyone was going to make it out of this alive, everyone was okay now. Including her.

            Abby remembered what she had promised herself on the train. She took Carter's hand in hers and, for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile came to her lips. "When I was on the train, all I could think about was, what if I never got to see you again? The last thing I told you was how you didn't really love Jill, that you were a bad father." She looked into his eyes. "You're a _great dad, and you've done so much for us, for me and the kids. I'm so sorry about everything I said, about you caring about your money more than Jill-"_

            "Abby, it doesn't matter. None of that matters. Both of us were on edge because of the kids being missing. We both said things we didn't mean. It's okay, really."

            Abby bit her lip. "I _did a lot of things I didn't mean too__. Over the last few days, all I've done is think about you." She was aware of how her words sounded, but for once, she didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that Carter was alright._

            "I've thought about how much you mean to the kids, how much you mean to me. I've made a lot of mistakes. I never should have kept the kids from you all this time. I'm through making excuses for it. I'm...I'm sorry, Carter."

            Carter was floored. One minute, he was sleeping off his drug-induced drowsiness; the next, he was listening to Abby apologize for all the things she had tried to explain away before.

            He sat up in bed. "It's okay, Abby," he said sincerely. Though he wouldn't have thought he had the strength to do it, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Abby. "It's okay now. We can just make a clean slate of it. Things are going to be okay," he promised her.

            "I got your letter," she told him, her voice muffled as her face was pressed into his shoulder.

            Carter could feel his face heating up. "Yeah, about that letter. When I wrote it, everyone was screaming, I thought I was gonna die, and-"

            "I love you too," Abby blurted out before he got a chance to take his words back.

            Carter was stunned. Had Abby really just said what he thought he had? In more than a year of dating, she had never spoken those words to him. "Wha-what did you say?" he stammered, looking at her.

            "I'm tired of dancing around the truth. I thought you were dead, and it made me realize how I really feel about you," Abby said, her voice trembling with emotion. For so many days she had thought Carter was dead; now that she knew he was alive, she wasn't wasting any more time.

            Carter gripped Abby's hands in his. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that," he said, pulling her to him, feeling her heart fluttering against his chest. Was this what it took to get him the woman he loved? But even if it was, she was worth it.

            "Things are so messed up between us," Abby whispered, her head resting on his shoulder.

            "But we can work them out," he reminded her. "We've got plenty of time."

__________________________________________________________

            "Are the kids here?"

            Abby's eyes widened. "Oh, I forgot all about them!" she exclaimed. "I have to call Susan!"

            "Susan? She came with you?"

            Abby nodded. "I didn't know what I was gonna find out here. I just didn't want to have to do it alone."

            Carter smiled. "Well, you won't anymore," he said, squeezing her hand. 

            She smiled back. It was so go to know that everything was finally okay. "I'm gonna call Susan and tell her to bring the kids, okay? I'll be right back." She went into the hall to use her cell phone.

            Once she was out in the hall, Abby leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe that Carter was really okay. This was what she had been waiting for for months: to know that everyone was safe. A few days ago it had seemed impossible; but now, it was real.            

            It was amazing how much the plane crash had changed her perspective. It had made her realize what was really important, and see what really mattered. And what really mattered was her family; Jill, Riley and Carter.

            Carter settled his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. So much had happened in the past thirty minutes. An hour ago, he was trying not to fall asleep, wondering where Abby was. The doctor had said he would try to contact her, but so far, he said no one was answering at the number Carter had given him.

            Now, he was thinking about the bold declaration that Abby had made. In his entire life, Abby had never shocked him as much as she had today. When she told him she loved him, and that she was sorry for the mistakes she had made, he was shocked speechless. That was so unlike Abby, expressing her feelings without being forced to.

            Well, maybe she had changed. Obviously she had changed. It was amazing what thinking someone was dead would do for you.

            Maybe it was time for he and Abby to get to know each other again. After all, they had two children together; they were going to be spending a lot of time around each other for the next several years.

            Abby. The woman he used to love. The woman he still loved. He remembered when she had first come in the ER, rolled in by Chen and Macy on a gurney. He had been so shocked; he had prayed that she was there because she was ready to give him another chance. But then he learned the real reason; that she was there because she had no other choice, because she didn't want their children to starve. 

            He had been mad at first, knowing that she had kept him children away from him for almost four years, but his anger had given way to a new interest. He had two children that he knew nothing about; he had a lot of catching up to do.

            Then there was Abby. He had never stopped loving her, but he had finally come to a sort of acceptance of the fact that they were not going to be together. But now that had all changed.

            Did the two of them really have a chance with each other? He knew he loved her, and apparently she loved him, but was that enough? Would they be able to overcome the things that had separated them for four years?

            "She's on her way," Abby said, reentering the room.

            "Good. I can't wait to see the kids. How are they?"

            "They're great, glad to be back together again. They don't even know that anything was wrong. I didn't want to worry them."

            Carter looked at Abby for a moment. Her face was strained with the worry of the past week, but all he saw was how beautiful she looked.  "Abby, I wanted to talk to you about what you said," he began. "You said you loved me too." Abby wasn't the only one that could be upfront!

            "I did.."

            "Are things going to work between us? Because I don't know about you, but I want them to. I want us to...be back together again. And not just because of the kids." He took her hand in his. "It's because of you. I want to be with _you."_

            Abby nodded slowly. "I want to be with you too, Carter," she admitted.

            "You know, if we're going to be living in the same house and everything, you really don't have to call me by my last name anymore," he told her, smiling.

            Now Abby was smiling as well. "Okay, _John," _she corrected.__

_            "Much better."_

            "So, now that we're all familiar and everything, what do we do now?" she asked him.

            Carter shrugged. "I guess we go home," he said. "Together."


	38. The Perfect Family

Chapter 38

            Mommy and Daddy look happy."

            The little girl smiled down at her brother. "Yeah, they _are_ happy. I told you this picnic was the perfect idea. Now we're all going to be happy together," she said, a contented smile on her face.

            Her brother wasn't really old enough to understand what she was talking about, but he smiled and nodded anyway.

            It had been a long time since Mommy and Daddy had looked that happy. It seemed like lately, all they did was yell and fight. Mommy cried and threw things, Daddy yelled and slammed doors. 

            She knew they needed something, something that would make them a happy family again, make things like they used to be before Daddy started drinking and Mommy started acting funny. That was when she had come up with the idea for the picnic.

            It hadn't been easy convincing them to go. They had still been mad at each other, and didn't even want to talk, much less go on a picnic together. But she had persuaded them.

            "They're kissing," said her little brother, giggling. She squeezed his hand. He didn't want Mommy to get mad because she heard them. She didn't want to ruin this perfect moment, when her mommy and daddy actually _loved_ each other.

            "Eat your sandwich," she ordered him, pressing the peanut butter and jelly masterpiece into his hand.

            Mommy and Daddy came back to the blanket. They were both smiling, holding each other's hands. "Well, I guess maybe this picnic wasn't such a bad idea after all," Daddy said, ruffling her hair.

            She smiled up at him and put her arm around her brother. "We're a perfect family," she announced, looking around at the happy family gathering. At for that one moment, they _were perfect. No one was screaming, no one was fighting, no one was threatening to leave. She wished that moment could last forever._

            But it didn't.

             "Where's the bottle of wine I packed?" Mommy asked, and she cringed. She knew what was coming: another fight.

            "I put it back. This is a family gathering; you don't need to be getting drunk in front of the kids."

            Mommy was mad. "Who are you to tell me what I need to do? If I want to drink wine in front of _my kids, I will!"_

            And it started again. One minute, they were perfect, peaceful, happy. The next minute they were fighting yet again. She grabbed her brother, held him in her arms, as if she could somehow protect him from the spectacle that was their parents. 

            Then Daddy left. Again. The little girl felt tears on her face as she watched her Daddy drive away. She didn't know it, but that was the last time she would ever see him.

            Then she dried her tears. Crying didn't fix anything. She had her brother to take care of; she couldn't be a baby. She held his hand as they cleaned up the mess from the picnic, wishing she could promise him that everything would be alright. But she couldn't; who knew what would happen when they got home? But she promised herself one thing: that someday, when she had kids of her own, she would give them a perfect family. 

_Thirty years later_

            It was a cool, breezy day in the park. A perfect day for a picnic.

            "Right there!" Jill said, pointing to a spot right next to a fountain.

            "Great choice Jill," Carter groaned, slamming the heavy picnic basket to the ground. He rubbed his shoulders. "Gosh, what'd you pack in there, Abby? Cement sandwiches?"

            "Nope, just my special chunky lemonade. Spread the blanket out over there, Riley," she said, tossing the blanket to him.

            "Jill, don't get in the" SPLASH! "fountain, nevermind," Carter said, as Jill paddled merrily in the four inches of water.

            "Ooh, can I get in too?" Riley asked, seeing all the fun Jill was having.

            Carter looked around the park. "I don't see any security guards around, so sure, why not?"

            He heard a laugh from behind him. "You find this funny?" he asked Abby, sitting down next to her on the mat. "I think I've got this Dad thing down pat."

            "Just wait til Jill asks you for her pony," Abby muttered under her breath. They both turned to look at Jill and Riley, who were playing happily in the fountain.

            "They look so happy," Abby said quietly. "My perfect family."

            "What?" Carter said.

            "Nothing." Abby turned to look at him. "You know, the last time I saw my dad, we were in a park just like this one. That was the last time I had anything close to a normal family." She was silent for a moment. "When I was a little girl, I always thought that if I could just do the right thing, my family would be perfect. And I didn't even need perfection, really; just a few days without a knock-down fight.

            "It's been thirty years since my dad left, but I've still been searching for that perfect family. I guess old habits die hard," she said, a wistful smile on her face.

            Carter gestured towards Jill and Riley playing in the fountain, then turned his hand so that it was pointed at himself. "Well? What do you say? Do you have your perfect family now?"

            Abby smiled. "You seem to think pretty highly of yourself," she commented.

            Carter nodded confidently. "Only the best for you," he said.

            Abby looked down, playing with the fabric of the blanket. "I guess I do," she said. "Or at least as close to perfect as you can get." She looked up, her eyes locking with his.

            "Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were paying me a complement," Carter said, not breaking her gaze.

            Abby smiled back at him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was too."

            From the fountain, the little boy giggled. "They're kissing," he said, covering his mouth to smother his laughs.

            His sister squeezed his hand. "Be quiet," she said, silencing him. She didn't want to ruin this perfect moment.

            And as Mommy and Daddy held each other in their arms, she was sure: they were a perfect family.

THE END

**A/N: Well, nothing like wading through 37 chapters of angst to get to a happy ending! After more than three long months of writing, my masterpiece is complete. A hearty "Thanks y'all!" to all the folks who have been with me from the beginning, and worried about the welfare of Abby, Riley, Jill, and Carter, in that order. Nothing I love more than a story that makes you panic again and again and again...**

And an equally hearty "Thank you muchly" to those who reviewed, begged me to spare the lives of Abby/Jill/Riley/Carter, and threatened my life and limb if I didn't. Strangely, I find threats inspiring...

Finally, a _slightly_ heartier "Gee, thanks pal!" to Emily, Icy, and Jordan for helping me brainstorm for various chapters. I know it looks easy, but this is _not _a one-man operation. I get by with a little help from my virtual friends...

Now that this story has finally come to its natural end, I feel so...empty. Seeing as Christmas break is right around the corner, and I have nothing better to do, I'll probably be starting another story soon. I don't know who/what it's gonna be about, but it's coming...

~Taz

THE _(real)_ END


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